Russia is planning to start constructing its own orbital station after 2024, as a replacement of the International Space Station (ISS) and on the basis of its existing modules and technoligies, Federal Space Agency Roskosmos said on Tuesday.

      "The configuration of a multi-purpose lab module, a docking module and a scientific-energy module allows us to build an orbital station to ensure Russia's independent access to outer space," Roscosmos Science and Technology Board said in a statement.

      Moreover, Russian scientists also plan to actively explore the Moon using robotic equipment in the next decade with the final goal of sending manned missions to the Earth's satellite around 2030, the board said.

      The first rumours about a Russian orbital station started emerging last fall, with sources close to Rosatom citing 2017 as the program's projected launch year.

      In December 2014, the plan was officially confirmed by the chief of the state-run space agency, Oleg Ostapenko, who said the orbital station could become a base the Russia's ambitious Moon and outer space programs.