Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that all deadlines for the construction and development of the Vostochny spaceport be met. He also called on officials to take a more responsible approach to the organization of work.

“Of course, the work on the development of the cosmodrome will have to be very serious, large, voluminous. I expect from you a more responsible and dynamic pace, a more responsible attitude to the organization of work. All deadlines must be met, including the first flight using a super-heavy carrier rocket, ”Putin said during a meeting at the spaceport.

The head of state emphasized that the launch of an extra-heavy launch vehicle from Vostochny should happen in 2028. At the same time, the technical condition of the spaceport should be ensured at the highest technical level and meet “modern requirements and standards,” the Russian leader noted.

“Five launches have already been made from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Now the capacities of Vostochny can and, I want to emphasize this, should be loaded in a more serious way. I know that Roscosmos has such plans for next year, we just talked about this with the head of Roscosmos, ”Putin added.

The President recalled that the "East" and the nearby city of Tsiolkovsky "should be among the" points of growth "of the Far East, contribute to strengthening the human resources of this region."

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting Vostochny Cosmodrome
  • RIA News
  • © Sergey Guneev

“A lot of questions requiring my intervention”

Recall, the construction of the Vostochny spaceport began in 2012. The first launches were carried out on April 28, 2016 - three satellites were launched from Vostochny into orbit. In 2019, the construction of the first stage was completed, at the moment the second and third are being built. In 2022, it is planned to launch the promising manned spacecraft Federation.

At the same time, completion dates were constantly postponed due to various problems. As Putin noted before visiting the cosmodrome, there are many questions that need the personal participation of the head of state.

“We need to work a little more, go to the spaceport. Unfortunately, we also have many issues there that need to be resolved and my intervention in this decision, ”he said during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

The second stage of the Vostochny spaceport is an infrastructure for launching Angara missiles. According to Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos state corporation, the construction of the launch pad is 1.5 months ahead of schedule.

“We’ve been ahead of the curve for a month and a half,” he said during a meeting with Putin.

Rogozin also said that the number of workers employed in construction will be increased by almost 10 times - from about 600 to 5 thousand.

“At present, 615 concrete workers work at the construction site ... Mobilization will continue. By the end of September we will receive 2.2 thousand workers. The peak of labor mobilization will be next summer - up to 5 thousand, ”he said.

At the same time, five space launches from Vostochny are planned for 2020, Rogozin said.

“Pay attention to the cost”

The meeting also touched on the development of Russian cosmonautics as a whole. According to Putin, the main priority should be given to the competitiveness of domestic technology "both in terms of technical characteristics and price."

“I ask that you generally pay attention to optimizing the cost of products manufactured by Roscosmos enterprises, and also to work out measures that will in the long run reduce the cost of space systems and launches themselves, while ensuring absolute quality and, of course, absolute reliability. This is the number one priority for our entire space industry, ”the head of state emphasized.

Putin noted that many countries are participating in the competition for space exploration, and therefore, to maintain Russia's leadership position, it is necessary to “be one step ahead” and propose promising technical solutions.

“Among the priorities here is the creation of a new generation middle-class launch vehicle. The estimated start date for its flight tests is 2022. It is necessary for launching automatic spacecraft into low Earth orbit, as well as a key element in creating a superheavy class launch vehicle, ”Putin addressed the audience.

Rogozin spoke about the implementation of three projects - the Federation manned spacecraft, the Angara rocket and the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. So, the manned ship after launching in the series will be called "Eagle".

“I’ll tell you the name of the ship today -“ Eagle ”, this is the name of the first military sailing ship,” Rogozin said. “The president supported this idea.”

The second rocket of the Angara family will be handed over to the Ministry of Defense before the end of this year, the head of Roskosmos said. Two more of these launch vehicles will be delivered in 2020. The first and at the moment the last launch of the Angara was made in December 2014.

As for Sarmat, the military unit of Roskosmos follows the schedule in matters of its development, Rogozin noted.

“I can tell you that we are on schedule, and the manufacturing plant, and the corresponding design bureau, and Roskosmos. The situation is under full control, the military block of Roskosmos is responsible for this project with its head, since it is connected with the strategic security of the country. We are on schedule, ”said the head of the state corporation.

In general, according to Rogozin, Vladimir Putin approved the development direction chosen by Roskosmos.

“Today, the president approved the ideology of the further development of domestic rocket science,” he said.