Russia starts building its own space station

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia has started building a new space station, the head of the Russian Space Corporation (Roscosmos) Dmitry Rogozin announced on Tuesday.

The construction of the first module of the new station is expected to be completed by 2025, Rogozin said on Twitter.

"The first basic module for the new Russian orbital service station is already being constructed. The Rocket and Space Corporation Energia has been tasked with ensuring its readiness to launch into the target orbit in 2025," Rogozin said.

Rogozin also shared a video of the first module, which will be a scientific and energy module, previously supposed to be launched to the International Space Station in 2024.

The station is designed with an open architecture and an unlimited lifetime due to the replacement of modules. It will fly in an orbit with an altitude of 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) and an inclination of 98 degrees, which will allow monitoring the entire surface of the Earth, primarily the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov announced that Russia can quit the International Space Station by 2025 due to its "poor condition."