The first manned space launch from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome will take place in 2023, Russian space agency Roscosmos head Igor Komarov said Thursday.

The first manned space launch from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East will take place as planned in 2023:

"The first cargo vessel [is planned] for 2021, and the first manned launch from Vostochny remains [as scheduled] in 2023," Komarov told journalists.

The Vostochny Cosmodrome has been under construction in the Amur Region of Russia's Far East since mid-2012. Once Vostochny is completed, it will enable Russia to launch most missions from its own soil, reducing the country's reliance on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The total cost of construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome is estimated at 180 billion rubles ($2.9 billion), according to Roscosmos.

On October 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his permission to make the first launch from Vostochny in the spring of 2016.