Russia will spend over 5 billion rubles ($170 mln) on the development and expansion of the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia this year, Space Forces spokesman Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said on Wednesday.

The money will be spent on "the construction and reconstruction of facilities at the Plesetsk space center," he added.

This includes the reconstruction of a local motorway, the construction of a new barracks and a cafeteria.

The center's energy supply system will also be modernized, he said.

New facilities will be built, including a dormitory, a medical center, parking lots, a hospital, and healthcare facilities.

Plesetsk is used especially for military satellites being put into polar orbit since the area to the north of the launch pad, where debris might fall, is virtually uninhabited.