Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the first segment of the new space station that Moscow aims to build to replace the ISS should be put into orbit in 2027, promising to continue the conquest of space despite recent failures. Russia announced in July 2022 its intention to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS), where its cosmonauts are permanently located and in which it plays a key role.
“In 2027, the first segment should be put into orbit”
The creation of a new Russian orbital station was therefore announced as the main priority by the Roscosmos space agency. “The goal is that there is no discontinuity, that the work proceeds at the pace of the exhaustion of the ISS’s resources,” Vladimir Putin declared Thursday during a televised meeting with specialists in the sector. “In 2027, the first segment should be put into orbit,” announced Vladimir Putin, who asked that “everything be done in due time”.
The Russian space sector, which has historically been the pride of the country, has suffered for years from funding problems, corruption scandals and setbacks. Russia thus failed to land its Luna-25 probe on the Moon in August, marking the failure of its first mission to the Earth’s natural satellite since 1976.
“Mistakes happen. This is such a complex field of activity. It’s a shame (…) It’s a negative experience, but one that will be used in the future to avoid any error”, qualified Vladimir Putin on Thursday, who promised to continue financing missions to the Moon. The president also asked industry officials to address the problem of low salaries in the Russian space industry and to work to attract foreign specialists and increase the involvement of private companies.
A model of international cooperation mainly bringing together the United States and Russia, the ISS began to be assembled in 1998. Its retirement was scheduled for 2024, but NASA estimated that it could operate until 2030.