Russia marks Cosmonauts Day

World Today

Cosmonauts Day marks the anniversary of Moscow sending the first man into space. There remains popular support for the space program. 47 percent of Russians say they want the space program to expand. This comes despite economic problems and delays in the construction of Russia’s new cosmodrome. CCTV’s Anya Ardayeva filed this report from Moscow.

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  • In May of 2014, the Kremlin promised to spend around $35 billion on Russia’s space program through 2020.
  • The space program, which was initially drafted last year, had to be cut following a 40 percent fall in ruble value last summer and now stands at $58 billion for the next ten years.
  • The first rocket launch from Vostochny was planned for December of 2015, however, the opening is likely to be postponed by four months after a series of corruption allegations and construction delays.