Sputnik/Sergei Bobylev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the first segment of Russia's new orbital station, which Moscow sees as the next logical development in space exploration after the International Space Station (ISS), should be put into operation by 2027. "As the resources of the International Space Station run out, we need not just one segment, but the entire station to be brought into service," Putin was quoted as saying of the new Russian orbital station. Yuri Borisov, head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, endorsed Putin's position as a means of maintaining the country's capabilities in manned space flight. "If we don't start large-scale work on creating a Russian orbital station in 2024 it is quite likely that we will lose our capability because of the time gap. What I mean is the ISS will no longer be there and the Russian station won't be ready."

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Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yuri Borisov, Sergei Bobylev, Putin, Putin's, Luna, Borisov, Ron Popeski, Sonali Paul Organizations: Space Corporation, Energia, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Space, International, Russian, Thomson Locations: Korolyov, Moscow, Russia, Russian