Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the new space station will prepare Russia for lunar missions. In a meeting with the director of Roscosmos, Yury Borisov, Putin was informed that the project for the new station will be ready for this summer. The cost of the development will be 600 billion rubles ($7.3 billion). Even though Moscow had announced it was withdrawing its participation in the International Space Station, last February Roscosmos explained that the Russian module will remain operational until 2028.
The new station will be put into orbit as early as 2024 and its orbit will fluctuate between 300 and 350 kilometers of altitude (against the 400 at which the International Station orbits). The station will receive $3.1 billion annually.