Putin rebukes officials over space delays

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday gave a dressing down to space officials on a visit to Russia's long-delayed and corruption-tainted cosmodrome in the Far East.

The Vostochny cosmodrome was originally supposed to be running manned launches from last year but the grand project has been consistently behind schedule.

At a meeting with the head of the country's space agency Dmitry Rogozin and others, Putin asked for details on how close the spaceport is to completion.

"I expect a more responsible attitude from you and a dynamic pace when organising work," Putin said in televised comments.

"All the infrastructure being built on the ground here must meet the latest demands and standards to ensure launches of our advanced rocket systems," the president said.

The cosmodrome in the Amur region is one of Russia's most important space projects, designed to reduce its reliance on the Baikonur launch site it rents from Kazakhstan to ferry astronauts.

State television hailed it as "the country's main construction site". Russia hopes the facility will restore its Soviet-era supremacy.

While five unmanned launches have already taken place from the cosmodrome, "Vostochny's capacities can -- and I want to stress, should -- be used more seriously," Putin warned.

Ahead of the visit, Putin said he was going because "there are a lot of questions there needing a solution and needing my intervention in this process."
Often outspoken space agency chief Rogozin responded on Twitter: "That's always the way: some are building, others are criticising." On Friday Rogozin told news agencies: "We have no reason to change the contractor. We are working to schedule."