Russia works on its own orbital station despite possible extension of ISS service — Putin

SOCHI, September 29. /TASS/. Russia is working on its own orbital project, despite the potential extension of the International Space Station operation past 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. He noted that Russia actively participates in the ISS operation, and "major research operations are being carried out in the Russian ISS segment." "According to the existing agreements, the ISS flight must stop in 2024, and, despite this deadline could be postponed, we must look beyond the horizon of this decade, taking into account the new challenges in deep space exploration and the national plans of the development of infrastructure across our huge territories, including the Arctic," the head of state said during a meeting on development of space industry. "Our specialists are already working on the project of a Russian service orbital station," Putin said, asking for a report on the progress of this project. Photo by Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS Read more