Russia’s federal targeted program for the development of space cosmodromes in 2017-2025 will exceed 340 billion rubles ($5.9 billion), Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the Cabinet, which was considering the program on Wednesday. This reported by TASS.

"The program is geared to preserving our foothold in the space industry and to ensuring Russia’s guaranteed and independent access to space," Medvedev said. He pointed to the need for a series of steps for addressing research and development tasks, meeting the country’s defense interests and carrying out commercial space projects.

"For these purposes more than 340 billion rubles of budget money will be invested under the program to create ground infrastructures at our spaceports for launching the entire range of rockets of the future," Medvedev said.