Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the first segment of a new space station that Moscow plans to build to replace the ISS should be launched in 2027, vowing to continue conquering space despite recent setbacks, writes AFP.

In July 2022, Russia announced its intention to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS), where its astronauts are permanently stationed and in which they play a key role.

Therefore, the Roscosmos space agency declared the creation of a new Russian orbital station a top priority.

“The goal is to ensure that there are no gaps, so that the work does not lag behind the depletion of the ISS’s resources,” Putin said Thursday during a televised meeting with experts in the sector.

“In 2027, the first segment should be launched into orbit,” Putin said, calling for “everything to be done on time.”

Russia’s space sector, the country’s historic pride, has been plagued by funding problems, corruption scandals and setbacks for years.

In August, Russia failed to land on the moon with the Luna-25 probe, marking the failure of its first mission to Earth’s natural satellite since 1976.

“Mistakes happen. This is such a difficult part of the job. It’s a shame (…) This is a negative experience, but it will be used in the future to avoid any mistakes,” Putin clarified on Thursday, promising to continue funding missions to the moon.

The president also asked those responsible for this area to deal with the problem of low salaries in the Russian space industry and to make efforts to attract foreign specialists and to attract more private companies.

The ISS, a model of international cooperation, primarily between the United States and Russia, began to assemble in 1998. It was supposed to be decommissioned in 2024, but NASA estimated that it could be operational until 2030.