Ex-Head of Russia’s Space Firm to Oversee Launch Pad Construction

Excerpt from report by corporate-owned Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN website

Blagoveshchensk, 15 January: Amur Region governor Nikolay Kolesov has appointed Nikolay Sevastyanov, former head of the Energiya [space and rocket] corporation, as deputy chairman of the regional government.

The regional government’s press service told Interfax that Sevastyanov will supervise issues related to the construction of Russia’s new Vostochnyy space launch facility in the region. [Passage omitted]

The cosmodrome will be built in three stages throughout 10 years. Design and exploration work to define the borders of the future cosmodrome should be completed by 2010.

It is planned that the cosmodrome itself will be built in 2010- 15. It will handle launches of all types of space vehicles except manned ones.

It is planned to start carrying out manned flights from the cosmodrome as of 2018.

Originally published by Interfax-AVN military news agency website, Moscow, in Russian 0745 15 Jan 08.

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