Russia wants to reduce its dependence on Western countries and go it alone or cooperate with countries such as China and Iran, after Western sanctions were imposed as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. Roscosmos unveiled a model of the space station, nicknamed “Ross” by Russian state media, on Monday at a military-industrial exhibition outside Moscow. Yuri Borisov, whom President Vladimir Putin appointed last month to head Roscosmos, has said Russia will abandon the ISS after 2024 and is working to develop its own orbital station. Launched in 1998, the ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000 as part of a US-Russia-led partnership that also includes Canada, Japan and 11 European countries. Nasa, which wants to keep the ISS operational until 2030, says it has yet to receive official confirmation of Russia’s planned withdrawal and previously understood Moscow would remain involved until 2028. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Roscosmos said its space station would launch in two phases, without giving dates. For the first phase, a four-module space station will begin operating. This will be followed by two more modules and a service platform, he said. This would be enough, when completed, to accommodate up to four astronauts and scientific equipment. Roscosmos said the station will give Russian cosmonauts a much broader view of Earth observation than their current section. Although plans are in place for some of the sections of the station, design work is still underway on other sections. Russian state media have suggested that the start of the first stage is planned for 2025-26 and no later than 2030. The start of the second and final stage is planned for 2030-35, they said. The space station, as currently designed, will not have a permanent human presence but will be manned twice a year for extended periods. Dmitry Rogozin, the previous head of Roscosmos and a hardliner known for his harsh anti-Western statements, has suggested that the new space station could serve a military purpose if needed.
