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Vostochny space center construction behind schedule — deputy PM

"The state of affairs at 'minimum launch' facilities leaves much to be desired," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said

© Vladimir Smirnov/TASS

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UGLEGORSK (Amur Region), January 30. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said after examining Vostochny space center facilities that the construction was behind schedule.

"My view after the examination of cosmodrome facilities and talks with representatives of Roscosmos and Spetsstroi (state construction company) is the following: the state of affairs at 'minimum launch' facilities leaves much to be desired. The builders for the present are behind the schedule," Rogozin told a meeting of the commission for control over the country’s most important construction site.

Rogozin said he was unsatisfied with the pace of the construction that remained behind schedule. He said he repeatedly heard about plans that were expected to be carried out by March 1 and April 1. "I would like to believe it will be so," he said, adding that the work must not be complicated by cold weather, as Russian cold was always an ally, but not an enemy.

The vice-premier admitted that weather conditions were really hard in the region, but because of this, reliable organization of work was particularly important, he said.

So-called "people’s monitoring" over the construction of the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East will be organized, Rogozin said on Friday. The webcam monitoring will be available online on the Internet websites of the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and the Military-Industrial Commission Collegium.

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"This year we expect an increase in budged spending and next year will also be rather financially busy," said the deputy prime minister. "This is people’s construction project and I want the webcams that we installed at the mail facilities to be connected not only to my Moscow office computer, but also to the websites of Roscosmos and MIC Collegium."

Rogozin said that thus citizens would be able to see which works are conducted at any particular moment, how many people are engaged in the work and the construction pace. "This now will cease to be a behind-the-scene affair of those who are in charge of the construction. So, this will be a kind of 'people’s monitoring' over the construction progress."

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Space Dmitry Rogozin Vostochny Cosmodrome

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