MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Investment in the Russian-Kazakh rocket compound project totals around $1 bln, Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin told a forum on Wednesday.
"Investment in the Russian-Kazakh project Baiterek totals around $1 bln," he said, adding that "the Kazakh side acts as an investor in the ground-based space infrastructure." "We plan to sign a respective agreement and start ground reconnaissance and construction of the complex in November," Rogozin said.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed a protocol in 2018 on making amendments to the inter-governmental agreement of December 22, 2004 on creating the Baiterek compound at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It defines the parties’ commitments under the project, the withdrawal of the Zenit-M ground-based space infrastructure facilities from the lease and their transfer to the Kazakh side for the upgrade. The Kazakh side is responsible for creating the ground-based infrastructure of the Baiterek space rocket compound by upgrading the available Zenit-M launch site. Russia is responsible for developing Soyuz-5 and Soyuz-6 carrier rockets for their launch from the Baiterek compound at the Baikonur spaceport. The first launch is planned for 2023.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested naming the launch compound being built for next-generation Soyuz-5 and Soyuz-6 rockets in honor of Kazakhstan’s first President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The launch compound was named the Nazarbayev Start.