Roscosmos will begin scientific missions to the Moon in 2015. Lunar bases and observatories will be built later on, Roscosmos head Vladimir Popovkin said on the Rossiya 24 channel on Friday.

"Scientists believe there may be water on the north and south poles, either in the bound state or not, and that must be explored. So, we will begin such flights to the Moon in 2015-2016," Popovkin said.

Phases of the lunar research program have been determined for the period until 2030. Capacities will be built up and "a foundation will be laid down for future flights, in particular, to Mars," he said.

"This is a good floor. Actually, this is a large spacecraft that may carry plenty of payloads. It would be wasteful not to use it," the Roscosmos head said.

Exploration of the Moon will begin from a landing mission. An orbiter and a surface vehicle will be constructed before a lunar base and an astronomical observatory are erected, he added.