MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Space Troops pay equal attention to all cosmodromes they are operating, these being Baikonur, Plesetsk and Svobodny, the press service of the troops said on Wednesday quoting troops commander Anatoly Perminov.
Under the current circumstances, it is necessary to specify priorities in Russia's military space activity, Perminov told a conference of the Space Veterans inter-regional public organization.
The commander refuted Russian media reports claiming that the Space Troops were about to abandon the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Russia will make its space activity independent from other nations only after infrastructure for Angara-family launch vehicles is created at the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region. It will take several years to implement such programs, Perminov said.
The importance of Plesetsk is obvious given the forthcoming visit of Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to the installation. The visit is scheduled for February 25, Perminov noted.
Most promising military-purpose spacecraft will lift off from Plesetsk, and that is why infrastructure for preparations and launches of light, medium and heavy rocket carriers is developing there, the commander noted.
Also on Wednesday, Director General of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency Yuri Koptev told a news conference at the Interfax main office that his agency was considering launches of Zenit and Tsiklon rocket carriers from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
The development of Plesetsk is underway simultaneously, Koptev said. The agency is planning to develop a new generation of rocket carriers to be launched from Plesetsk. Besides, all military spacecraft will lift off from that cosmodrome.