ISS is now 25 years old (Representative)
Moscow:
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting with space industry representatives that the first section of the new Russian orbital station, which Moscow sees as the next logical development in space exploration after the International Space Station (ISS), should be commissioned by 2027. Like Russian News agencies reported that Putin also vowed to continue Russia’s lunar program despite the failure of the first lunar flight in 47 years in August.
Putin said Moscow’s decision to extend its now 25-year-old participation in the ISS until 2028 was a temporary measure.
“As the resources of the International Space Station are exhausted, we need to put into operation not just a segment, but the entire station,” Putin was quoted as saying about the new Russian orbital station.
“And the first segment is scheduled to be launched into orbit in 2027.”
He said the station’s development must proceed “in a timely manner,” otherwise the Russian program risks falling behind in the development of human spaceflight.
The new station must “take into account all the advanced achievements of science and technology and have the potential to take on the tasks of the future.”
Yuri Borisov, head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, supported Putin’s position as a means of maintaining the country’s capabilities in human spaceflight.
“The ISS is getting old and will come to an end sometime around 2030,” Russian authorities quoted him as telling reporters.
“If we do not start large-scale work to create a Russian orbital station in 2024, it is very likely that we will lose our capabilities due to the time gap. What I mean is that the ISS will no longer be there and the Russian station will no longer be ready.
In his remarks, Putin also said he was fully informed about the technical glitches that led to the crash landing of the Luna-25 spacecraft on the moon’s south pole in August.
“We will of course work on that. The lunar program will continue. There are no plans to close it,” Putin said.
“Mistakes are mistakes. It’s a shame for all of us. This is space exploration and everyone understands it. It is an experience that we can use in the future.”
Borisov said the next lunar launch could be postponed from 2027 to 2026 as planned.
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Source : www.ndtv.com