Russia is ready to start building its own space station with the aim of launching it into orbit by 2030 if President Vladimir Putin gives the go-ahead, the head of its Roscosmos space agency said on Wednesday. The project would mark a new chapter for Russian space exploration and an end to more than two decades of close cooperation with the United States aboard the ageing International Space Station (ISS). Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told Russian TV at the weekend that Moscow would give notice to its partners that it would leave the ISS project from 2025. Rogozin said the Russian station, unlike the ISS, would most likely not be permanently crewed because its orbit path would expose it to higher radiation. He said Russia was ready to consider allowing foreign crews to visit, "but the station must be national...

Source: Mint April 22, 2021 00:12 UTC