ZHUKOVSKIY (Moscow Region) (Sputnik) — Russia's Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket will be delivered to the Vostochny Space Center in August, the head of the Progress Space Rocket Center said Tuesday.
"The rocket is being sent to Vostochny cosmordrome… in August," Progress General Director Aleksandr Kirilin told reporters.
Vostochny, which has been under construction since 2012, is expected to reduce Russia's dependency on the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Baikonur is on lease to Russia until 2050.
In April, Russia successfully conducted the first launch from the newly-built Vostochny space center, putting three satellites aboard a Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket to orbit.
