Russia relaunches space race?

Russia has revealed bold plans for a renewed exploration of outer space.

According to information released on Roscosmos, Russia's official space agency, the plans include the completion of a state of the art spaceport that will allow Russia to access space independently of any other country. Meanwhile, Roscosmos is planning to put Russian astronauts on the moon.

Russia is also working on technology that would help it protect its spacecraft.

The Vostochny Cosmodrome is being created in the outer reaches of the Russian Federation, in the far eastern Amur region.

The site is relatively near the Pacific Ocean, thus allowing for transport of materials.

It has been estimated that over 20,000 people will be employed at the cosmodrome when it is fully up and running.

Roscosmos has also announced its hopes that Russia will take part in international projects sending pace rovers to Mars, Jupiter and Venus.

Russia caught the world's imagination in April 1961, by putting the first man into space. Yuri Gagarin became a popular hero in Russia, and Moscow hopes that it will have a chance of recapturing some of that magic.