If you have paid attention to the routines of Sasha Baron Cohen, as he does his Borat character, the slightly goofy reporter from the former Soviet state of Kazakhstan, you have learned quite a bit about that country. One of the things not mentioned in the routines is that currently the Russian space program is run from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which happens to fall within the boundaries of Kazakhstan.

Since that is where it is located, the Russians are having to rent the facility from the Kazakh government for an undisclosed amount. This doesn’t sit well with Premier Putin, so last November he announced that a new cosmodrome will be built in the Amur region of Russia, near the Chinese border. The Vostochny Cosmodrome will be the new launch center for most of the space excursions of Russia, and the only place where manned launches will happen. The work on the cosmodrome, and the city that will spring up nearby, begins later this year, and is projected to be completed by 2015.

Another notable item, all space tourism will probably stop after the current commitments are completed in 2009. Apparently enough money has been exchanged to help complete the new facility, and no more will be required.

While the completion will occur in 2015, no launches have been announced until 2018, ostensibly to allow for scheduling problems during construction.

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Tags: russian space program, cosmodrome, baikonur cosmodrome, kazakhstan, vostochny cosmodrome, vladimir putin