Putin ‘proud’ as rocket blasts off a day late from new cosmodrome
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RUSSIA yesterday launched the first rocket from its new Vostochny cosmodrome, with President Vladimir Putin hailing the event after dressing down officials over a delay caused by a technical glitch.
The launch is a major milestone for Russia’s beleaguered space sector, with the new spaceport in the far east of the country touted to mark the rebirth of an industry plagued by a string of embarrassments in recent years.
The Soyuz 2.1a rocket carrying three satellites took off at 11:01am, the Roscosmos national space agency said in a statement, after the countdown was halted for technical reasons the day before.
National television showed the Soyuz taking off into a blue sky in light winds, although foreign media organizations were not allowed to enter the new space center.
Putin was present for the take-off.
“You know they say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You have to make the first launch to confirm the cosmodrome is ready for work. And you did it!” he told industry officials.
“I want to congratulate you. We can be proud. It’s a serious and important contribution to the development of the Russian space industry,” he said.
“Yesterday the technical side was put to the test and the launch had to be stopped, but it happens. It’s a normal thing.”
A European launch from French Guiana had to be put off three times last week before finally taking place on Monday.
The Russian delay was due to a malfunction of a cable, a space agency spokesman said.
Construction of the new spaceport began in 2012 but was marred by a string of labor disputes, corruption scandals and delays.
The first satellite launch had been scheduled for late 2015, but setbacks forced authorities to review the timetable.
“Despite all its failings, Russia remains the world leader in the number of space launches,” Putin told a meeting of space officials on Wednesday.
“But the fact that we’re encountering a large number of failures is bad. There must be a timely and professional reaction.”
The new spaceport in the far eastern Amur region has been hailed by Putin as Russia’s biggest current building project with a budget estimated at 300 billion rubles (US$4.6 billion).
About 10,000 workers have been building 115 kilometers of roads in the sparsely populated region and a town with housing for 25,000 people.
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