MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian space agency Roscosmos expects the construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome to be completed by the end of 2016, Roscosmos General Director Igor Komarov said Friday.
"We must solve all remaining issues in the nearest future to accelerate the completion of construction and finish it by year-end," Komarov told Rossiya-24.
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.
