Putin urges more commercial space efforts Russian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin greets his supporters and campaign staff during night after the presidential election day on March 5, 2012. MOSCOW, April 12 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday Russia must increase efforts to implement commercial space projects with other countries and space agencies. "In recent years the Baikonur launch center has been actively used for commercial space projects," Putin said on Russian Cosmonautics Day. I believe we need to develop this line, work more closely with the European Space Agency, as well as countries that run their own space programs. Global demand for space launch services will continue to grow, he said, with more than 20 launch centers globally and new launch facilities under construction in China, Korea, Indonesia, Brazil and other countries. Putin said about $5 billion will be earmarked for space programs from the federal budget, RIA Novosti reported. "Most of the funds -- about 30 billion rubles ($1.02 billion) -- will go to Vostochny," he said, referring to the space center under construction in Russia's Far East. Vostochny, due to be completed in 2016, will join Russia's two current launch sites: Baikonur in Kazakhstan, which Russia has leased since the fall of the Soviet Union, and Plesetsk in northwestern Russia.