MOSCOW, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said Monday that the future of the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024 could be decided in the first quarter next year.

Borisov made the remarks during a TV interview, after Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos said last month that it would discuss the operation lifespan of the ISS with NASA of the United States.

The ISS lifespan is highly dependent on the technical condition of the modules and certain political aspects, Roscosmos said then.

As for spaceflights in 2021, Borisov said it is possible that a new Nauka (Science) module will be launched to the ISS, which may later become the basis for the Russian space station.

In November, Russia's rocket and space corporation Energia announced that it was working on the development of a new multifunctional space station as the ISS may stop operation in 2025.