Commissioning of Vostochny launch pad not to tell on Baikonur.

ASTANA (Itar-Tass) - The commissioning of the Russian
Vostochny cosmodrome will practically not affect the fate of the Baikonur
launch pad, which Russia leases from Kazakhstan, the director of the
Kazkosmos National Space Agency, Talgat Musabayev, said in an on-line
conference on Friday.
"According to most optimistic forecasts, the first launch from
Vostochny is possible not earlier than the end of 2015," Musabayev said.
He noted that the Baikonur lease agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia
had been extended till 2050. "As it has repeatedly been stated even at the
governmental level, Russia is not going to withdraw from the cosmodrome at
all," he stressed.
Musabayev believes that with the commissioning of Vostochny, closer to
the year 2020, the federal program of space launches will be withdrawn
from Baikonur. "But Russia is not going to abandon the commercial
component of launches from the cosmodrome, and that is why there can be no
fears about its fate," he summed up.
According to the head of Kazkosmos, this year 28 launches will be made
from Baikonur, which is some 33 percent more than last year. "Three
launches, including that of the piloted spacecraft Gagarin, were made in
the first three months," he added.
All in all, over 355 launches have been made from Baikonur since
Kazakhstan became an independent state 20 years ago, Musabayev noted.