Moscow: Russia has patented a technology for launching automatic spacecraft from an orbital station, which will become the world’s first drone platform equipped with robots for its maintenance.

The technology is planned to be tested at the Russian Orbital Station and later appl­i­ed in the exploration of the Moon. First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov told President Vladimir Putin at a meeting here that by 2030, Russia must ensure a planned transition to its own orbital station module-by-module.

The ROS “will become the world’s first drone platform equipped with robots for its maintenance. This is a patented solution of the Russian Federation,” Manturov said during the meeting on Friday.

The televised meeting was chaired by Putin to review the national projects, including in the area of space. “Testing of the technology will allow us to apply this format to our lunar programme,” Manturov was quoted as saying by www1.ru, a news portal dedicated to cover technology issues. —PTI