BAIKONUR, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's defense minister Sergei Ivanov has confirmed the priority development of the Space Force. "The leaders of Russia and the defense ministry have always paid special attention to the Space Force. I want to confirm the priority and strategic nature of these actions," the minister said Thursday at the parade held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Baikonur spaceport.
Ivanov stressed that the effective operation of the space center largely depended on close cooperation between the Russian military and the Kazakh colleagues.
The first earth satellite, the first spacecraft with animals, the first cosmonaut of the planet Yuri Gagarin, and the first craft for studying the Sun, the Moon and Venus were launched from Baikonur, the main space center of Russia and the world's first spaceport.
In the 50 years since its establishment, over 1,500 different purpose spacecraft have been launched from Baikonur.
