"If the Kazakh side delays some of its work, it means that the launch will move to 2024," Rogozin told Rossiya 24 broadcaster.
On Tuesday, Kazakhstan's Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Musin said that the deadline for the construction of the Baiterek complex for the Soyuz-5 rocket launches have shifted due to the preparation of technical documents. Design development and modernization will take time, with the construction works to begin in late 2022, he said.
Soyuz-5, a Russian two-stage medium-class launch vehicle capable of carrying 17 tonnes of payload into low Earth orbit, is currently being developed and prepared for the launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome. Initially it will replace the capabilities of Russian Zenit-2 and Proton Medium carrier rockets, while in the future it will serve as the basis for the Yenisei super-heavy launch vehicle.