Cosmodrome Vostochny - replacement of Baikonur

It's no secret that with the collapse of the USSR, the space industry of Russia has been in a certain impasse. On the one hand, we are the discoverers of the cosmos, and on the other - the country without its own cosmodrome. The solution to the problem was found quite quickly - the Kazakh authorities agreed to lease Baikonur, asking for a year in a year, comparable to the costs of this state to support the whole of agriculture. But since there was no other way out for the government at that time, a lease agreement was signed, the term of which ends in 2050.

But the availability of an leased launch pad for launching satellites and heavy rockets into orbit is not a way out, so in 2007 a presidential decree was issued to build a new cosmodrome on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome began almost immediately, but over the years it has not progressed further than clearing the area and digging trenches. But the sums put into the estimates for its construction grew with truly cosmic speed - if the initial documentation was a figure of 81 billion rubles, then in a few years it mysteriously grew to as much as 300 billion.

For comparison - about the same amount will cost the Sochi Olympics, and the same amount was spent on the APEC summit. In other words, the Vostochny cosmodrome is likely to become the largest project of the Russian government since perestroika.

What is such a grandiose and expensive cosmodrome? According to the projects, he will undoubtedly enter the four largest world launch sites for launching heavy rockets and space modules. In addition, it will become the most modern, as it will include not only more than one and a half thousand all kinds of buildings and structures, but also a new residential complex for the inhabitants of the space town.

The Vostochny spaceport, located in the Amur Region, in an area with more than a complex climate, will require a lot of expenses even for conducting preparatory work. After all, typical temperatures for this climatic zone from minus 35 in winter and up to plus 40 in summer force builders to develop soil to a depth of 70 meters. It will further increase the cost of work and the need to create all the necessary infrastructure from scratch, because in the selected area there are not only minimal communications, but even railways.

Also the Vostochny cosmodrome, whose project has already been approved, confuses many experts in the field of space with their proximity to the sea. On the one hand, this is undoubtedly a plus - large-sized parts can be delivered on water at a lower cost. But on the other hand, in the case of any emergency situation at the start, the emergency carrier with almost 100% probability will fall into the sea, which means finding it will be much more difficult than if it landed on land.

Moreover, it is no secret that the previous head of Roskosmos also spoke against the deployment of such a large-scale construction, arguing that it is much cheaper to maintain Baikonur and pay rent to Kazakhstan than to build the Vostochny cosmodrome. But in this case the issues of independence and prestige were of more importance for the government than cost issues, so the project, despite the tough opposition, was still launched.

To date, the launch of the first manned vehicle from the new site is planned for 2018, but given that this period has already shifted first from 2014 to 2015, and then was moved for three years at all, talk about the accuracy of plans for the completion of construction it is too early.

But in any case, when the Vostochny cosmodrome is delivered, it will ensure not only Russia's independence in space, but also the rapid development of the Amur region.