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Putin tasks Roscosmos to organize space flight for representatives of Belarus

The Russian president noted that he had already discussed this issue with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently paying a visit to the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East

© Mikhail Klimentyev/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

VOSTOCHY SPACEPORT /Amur Region/, April 12. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has tasked the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) to organize a space flight on a Russian spaceship for representatives of Belarus.

"I ask Roscosmos to organize the necessary training and a [subsequent] flight on board of a Russian spaceship for representatives of Belarus," Putin said speaking at a ceremony of giving state awards to Russian cosmonauts at the Vostochny spaceport on Tuesday.

The Russian president noted that he had already discussed this issue with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently paying a visit to the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East.

"I am confident that it will be a new milestone of our cooperation in the space exploration," Putin added.

The Vostochny spaceport in the Amur Region in the Russian Far East is the first national civilian space center. A decree on the spaceport’s construction was signed by the Russian president in 2007. A multi-purpose launch compound for Soyuz-2 carrier rockets was built in 2012-2016 during the first stage of the Cosmodrome’s construction.

The second stage envisages building a launch pad for Angara-A5 carrier rockets and the associated infrastructure. The construction of the spaceport’s second stage is expected to be completed in late 2022.

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