Russia to Modernize the Space Launching Site It Rents from Kazakhstan

As Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roskosmos (Russian space agency) announced, the reconstruction of the launching site for the Soyuz 5 missile will start this summer.

«We will start the design process in spring. The construction work will begin in summer,» he wrote on Twitter as Interfax-Kazakhstan agency reported.

In his earlier statements, Rogozin mentioned that the Soyuz 5 must be launched at the end of 2023. «The modernization of the launching site and the first flying machine (missile) production should be completed at the same time: in the fourth quarter of 2023.»

In October 2020, after eliminating all disagreements, Russia and Kazakhstan agreed to launch a new collaborative project aimed at building a Baiterek rocket complex on the Baikonur launching site.

«To be short, Baikonur will be given a new lease on life. Moreover, the agreement opens the road for flight tests of the new Soyuz 5. This missile will be able to compete with similar flying machines from other countries,» he said.

Baiterek is the new rocket site, which will be built by Russia in conjunction with Kazakhstan at the Baikonur space launching site. As expected, it will serve as the launching site for Soyuz 5 type missiles. Lately, this rocket, designed by the Russian Energiya enterprise, was named the Irtysh.

The main purpose of the rocket is to act as a carrier for the reusable space shuttle. Its first manned flight with a space link to the International Space Station is scheduled for 2024. Currently, Russia uses as a carrier its Proton missile. This year Roskosmos is going to launch from Baikonur three such rockets while in 2020 only one Proton was launched by the agency.