Russia May Allocate $64 Billion on Space Program 2016 to 2025

Russia may spend 2 trillion rubles ($64 billion) on its space program between 2016 and 2025 as it eyes a manned mission to the moon and plans a new spaceship.

Russia expects to increase spending next year by 50 percent to 150 billion rubles and double it to 200 billion rubles by 2015, Vladimir Popovkin, head of the Russian space agency, said in an interview in Moscow today.

“I have created a working group that is studying a strategy for space development beyond 2015, till 2030 and 2050,” Popovkin said.

Over the next decade Russia will focus its efforts in space exploration on the moon, expecting to launch a manned mission there in 2020-2025, Popovkin said, with a manned Mars mission only possible after 2030.

Russia is now working to create a new transport system for a crew of six. The system that will cost more than 10 billion rubles to develop should be ready by 2020, Popovkin said.