Russia’s space agency said Tuesday it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said work had begun on the fist module of a new station, after officials warned that Russia was considering pulling out of the ISS, one of the few successful examples of cooperation with the West.
Первый базовый модуль для новой российской орбитальной служебной станции уже в работе. Ракетно-космической корпорации “Энергия” поставлена задача в 2025 году обеспечить его готовность к запуску на целевую орбиту. pic.twitter.com/CYa5o7yk4y
— РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) April 20, 2021
The announcement came with tensions soaring over espionage claims, a Russian troop build-up along Ukraine’s borders and the deteriorating health of President Vladimir Putin’s imprisoned critic Alexei Navalny.
“The first core module of the new Russian orbital station is in the works,” Rogozin said in a statement on messaging app Telegram.
He said Russia’s Energia space corporation was aiming to have the module “ready for launch” in 2025 and released a video of Energia staff at work.
Launched in 1998 and involving Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency, the ISS is one of the most ambitious…
