Plans to Create Russian National Orbital Station Confirmed

Russia's space agency Roscosmos is currently looking at plans to create a national space station that may be included in the new Federal Space Program, Roscosmos head Oleg Ostapenko said Monday. "I confirm that we are looking at this variant as a likely direction," Ostapenko said.

Ostapenko added that the high-altitude station is also being considered as a base for Russia's lunar program. "There is also this variant, we are currently considering it," he said.

In September, Roscosmos said it was planning to launch a full-scale moon exploration program in 2016-2025. According to the reports, the new orbital station will also be used to test manned spacecraft for the lunar mission. Spacecraft will first be delivered to the station, and then continue to the Moon.

In May, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia was considering dropping out of the ISS program, and re-direct its funding into more promising space projects.

A Russian space engineering source close to matter told Russian media in November that the country was looking to build its own orbital station, with the project set to begin in 2017. The station will use modules constructed for the International Space Station (ISS), the source added.

Roscosmos Will Decide on New Super-Heavy Rocket Design in January 2015 Russia's space agency Roscosmos will decide on the design of the country's new super-heavy rocket in January 2015, Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko said Monday.

"We have already received blueprints from three leading space rocket enterprises. A panel of experts has already started considering them, and we will select the winner <...> in January," he told reporters.

Roscosmos is looking to develop a super-heavy carrier rocket to be used in Russia's lunar program. Andrei Mazurin, who heads one of the space agency's departments, told RIA Novosti in October the launch vehicle would be able to lift up to 80 tons of cargo into space. In the long term, a rocket capable of carrying 130 to 160 tons could be developed, he added.

Russia's largest existing rocket, the Proton, can launch payloads of up to 20 tons. The modular Angara rocket is also under development and comes in several versions, the largest of which is planned to send up to 35 tons into orbit.

Russian Space Agency's 2015 Budget Unchanged Despite Economic Downturn Despite the current downturn in the Russian economy, the government has no plans to cut the 2015 budget of the national space agency, Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko told reporters Monday.

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Plans to Create Russian National Orbital Station Confirmed