Yuri Borisov, the boss of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, said it must get its new station up and running quickly or risk falling behind its rivals, including a joint project by the US, European, Canadian, and Japanese space agencies.

Russia's new space station will come online in 2027, Vladimir Putin has said.

Moscow's Roscosmos space agency committed to building its own orbital outpost last year, when it announced its departure from the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr Putin said Russia also remained committed to its moon landing programme, despite the failure of its Luna-25 mission earlier this year.

"Mistakes are mistakes - it is a shame for all of us," he said.

"This is space exploration and everyone understands that. It is experience we can use in the future."

Luna-25 was the country's first to the lunar surface in almost 50 years and aimed to explore its south pole for signs the moon could support a permanent human base.

But it crashed before it could safely touch down, leaving a crater later spotted by NASA scientists.

India succeeded where Russia had failed just days later, making history in the process.