This photo published by the Russian Defense Ministry on Dec. 11, 2019 shows the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket being launched.

A reusable single-stage launch space vehicle with vertical take-off and landing may be built within eight years, a Russian scientist said Tuesday.

"We have already developed three versions of the carrier rocket," TASS news agency quoted Sergey Vaulin, director of the Polytechnic Institute of the South Ural State University, as saying.

The reusable carrier rocket can be used for the construction of modular orbital stations or the delivery of cargo to the International Space Station, said Vaulin, who is one of the developers of the new spacecraft.

"If we start work in 2020, then the prototype launch vehicle should be ready in 2028," he said.