Russia’s Energia Rocket and Space Corporation has started creating a module for landing cosmonauts on the Moon, Energia said in an annual report on Tuesday.

"Work has been launched to develop the technical design of the lunar take-off and landing module, for which a super-heavy carrier rocket will be used for its delivery to the near-Moon orbit," the document says.

Parts of the take-off and landing module will be delivered to the Deep Space Gateway international lunar orbital platform in their disassembled state where they will be finally assembled and stored and where their maintenance will be carried out, according to Energia’s report.

"The Gateway station will make it possible to test the basic technologies for the crew’s stay in deep space and deliver the first missions of automated and manned spacecraft to the Moon’s surface, and also test technologies and elements as part of preparations for the manned missions to Mars," the report says.