Russia starts building new space rocket
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Russian engineers started to lay out a new type of rocket designed specially for new launch site Vostochny in Amur region, RIA Novosti news agency reported on Thursday.
The rocket will be an integral part of a new space manned system, Victor Remishevski, deputy head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, said.
Russian budget has allocated some 806 million U.S. dollars for the new launch pad and its infrastructure building for the next three years.
The construction works will start in the second half of 2011, the Roscosmos official said.
First unmanned launch from Vostochny has been scheduled for 2015 and first manned spaceship will be launch from there in 2018.
Vostochny, located in the Amur region bordering China, will host two booster sites, a training center and a medical research center. The space complex will be connected to the outer world with roads and railways.
Currently, Russian manned spaceships are launched from Baikonur space site located in Kazakhstan.
