Russia's space agency said Tuesday it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said work had begun on the fist module of a new station, after officials warned that Russia was considering pulling out of the ISS, one of the few successful examples of cooperation with the West.

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said in recent days that Moscow was considering whether to leave the ISS programme from 2025 because of the station's age.

Roscosmos said on Monday that a decision on quitting the ISS had not yet been made.

"When we make a decision we will start negotiations with our partners on forms and conditions of cooperation beyond 2024," the space agency told AFP in a statement.

Russia lost its monopoly for manned flights to the ISS last year after the first successful mission of US Company SpaceX.

Despite its much-lauded history - Russia this month marked the 60th anniversary of –1--becoming the first person in orbit - the country's space programme has struggled in recent years.

Rogozin has announced a series of ambitious plans in recent years but his agency has struggled under funding cuts, with analysts saying Putin is more interested in military technology than space exploration.

Russia would construct the new space station by itself, he said, while appearing to hold out the possibility of other countries taking part. "We'll definitely [take partners], but we'll manage by ourselves,".

Last month said it had signed an agreement with China's National Space Administration to develop a lunar research station on the surface of the Moon, in orbit or both.