MOSCOW, June 8. /TASS/. The inaugural selection of cosmonauts for space flights to the future Russian Orbital Station (ROS) is planned for 2023-2024, the press office of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center reported on Thursday.

"First targeted selection of cosmonauts for flights to the ROS is planned for 2023-2024," the press service announced.

The training center added that active cosmonauts from the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos would also participate in the flights to Russia’s future orbital outpost.

In April 2021, then-Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said that the condition of the International Space Station left much to be desired and Russia might focus on creating its own orbital outpost. Work on the future orbital station’s conceptual design is currently underway.

Deputy Prime Minister, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in October last year that Russia had already determined the preliminary cost of its future orbital station.

Deputy Chief Designer of the Energia Space Rocket Corporation (part of the State Space Corporation Roscosmos), ROS Chief Designer Vladimir Kozhevnikov told TASS in February that Russia would launch the first research/energy module at the end of 2027 and the nodal, gateway, basic and special-purpose modules in 2028-2030.