Russia aims to launch its own Space Station by 2025, core module 'in the works'

Russian Space Agency Roscosmos on April 20 announced that it hopes to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow mulls to withdraw from the International Space Station. Moscow which aims to achieve a space victory akin to the Soviet-era has even begun working on the core module of a new station, as confirmed by the Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin. Membership of the ISS is deemed to be one of the very few areas which see active cooperation between Moscow and Washington and a pullout from the same reflects on their worsening ties.

"The first core module of the new Russian orbital station is in the works," Rogozin said in a statement on messaging app Telegram.

Ready to launch in 2025

In his statement, Rogozin added that Korolyov based Energia Space Corporation was developing the module and was aiming to make it “ready for launch” in 2025. The announcement comes days after Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said Kremlin was considering whether to leave the ISS programme from 2025 because of the station's age. However, he added that a decision on the same has not been made as yet.

Meanwhile, Russia has ironed out plans to send at least three Soyuz-ST carrier rockets from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana in 2021, revealed a source to Sputnik, according to news agency ANI. The source reportedly said that two European Galileo navigation satellites are planned to be launched in September while in November and December, two other launches of 34 UK OneWeb's communications satellites in each will be blasted off by Russia.

As per reports, since October 2011, there have been at least 25 Soyuz-ST launches from the Guiana space centre including one in August 2014 that ended with the launch of European Galileo navigation satellites into an off-design orbit due to issues with the Fregat upper stage. "In September, the launch of two European Galileo navigation satellites is planned, in November and December, two launches with 34 UK OneWeb's communications satellites in each," the source said.

Representative Image/ Credits: NASA