On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is planning to launch the first part of its new space station. This station is Russia’s vision for the future of space exploration, following the International Space Station (ISS). Putin stated that this new station should become operational by 2027.
During a meeting with leaders from the space industry, Putin also expressed his commitment to continuing Russia’s lunar program, even though they faced a setback in August with their first moon mission in nearly five decades.
Putin mentioned that Moscow’s choice to prolong its involvement in the 25-year-old International Space Station (ISS) until 2028 is only a temporary solution. He emphasized the need for a new Russian orbital station to replace the ISS as its resources deplete.
He stated, “We can’t just rely on a single section; we should have the entire station ready for use.” Putin also outlined the goal of launching the first segment of this new station into orbit by 2027.
Putin stressed the importance of progressing with the development of the new station without delay to ensure that Russia remains competitive in the field of manned spaceflight.
Regarding the new space station, Putin emphasized that it should “incorporate the latest scientific and technological advancements and be ready for future missions.”
Yuri Borisov, who leads the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, supported Putin’s stance as a way to ensure Russia’s capabilities in human space exploration. He mentioned, “The International Space Station is aging and will reach the end of its life around 2030.”
Putin emphasized the urgency of starting significant efforts to build a Russian orbital station by 2024. He expressed concerns that without timely action, there could be a gap in Russia’s space capabilities. He explained that this gap might occur because the International Space Station (ISS) would no longer be available, and the Russian station wouldn’t be operational by then.
Additionally, Putin mentioned that he had received a full report on the technical issues that led to the Luna-25 spacecraft crash landing on the moon’s south pole in August. He assured that they would continue their lunar program and not abandon it. Mistakes happen in space exploration, and they see it as a learning experience for future endeavors.
Yuri Borisov, head of the Russian space agency, suggested that the next moon mission might be moved up to 2026 instead of the initially planned 2027.
