Russia unveils detailed Space Station model

Russia unveiled a physical model of what a planned Russian space station will look like, suggesting Moscow is serious about abandoning the International Space Station ISS and going it alone.

Russia is in the throes of what some Kremlin hardliners believe is an historic rupture with the West sparked by sanctions imposed over what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine, rushing to reduce its dependence on Western nations and forge ahead on its own or cooperate with countries like China and Iran.

The Russian economy has been hit by sanctions designed to starve Moscow of technology, know-how and funds, despite Russia accusing it of using a provoked imperial war of aggression against Ukraine.

Russia's national space agency Roskosmos unveiled a model of the planned space station, dubbed ROSS by Russian state media, on Monday at an Army- 2022 military-industrial exhibition outside Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin appointed him to head Roskosmos last month, Yuri Borisov, said Russia will leave the ISS after 2024 and is working on developing its own orbital station.

The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000 under a U.S. Russian-led partnership that includes Canada, Japan and 11 European countries.

Roskosmos said in a statement that the new space station would be launched in two phases, without a date.

A four-module space station would be operational in the first phase. It said that it would be followed by two more modules and a service platform. When completed, that would be enough to accommodate up to four cosmonauts as well as scientific equipment.

Roskosmos said that the new station would give Russian cosmonauts a much wider view of the Earth for monitoring purposes than they enjoy in their current segment.

Design work on other segments is still underway, although the designs for some of the station already exist.

Russian state media suggested that the launch of the first stage is planned for 2025 -- 26 and no later than 2030. The second and final stage is planned for 2030 -- 35, they have reported.

The space station, as currently conceived, would not have a permanent human presence, but would be staffed twice a year for extended periods.

Dmitry Rogozin, the previous head of Roskosmos and a hardliner known for his tough statements against the West, suggested that the new space station could fulfil a military purpose if necessary.