Universe Today
With the International Space Station (ISS) set to retire in 2030, several nations and commercial space companies have plans to deploy their own successor stations. This includes China, which plans to double the size of its Tiangong space station in the coming years, and the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), with the first module targeted for launch by 2028. Then you have private ventures like Blue Origin's Orbital Reef, Airbus' LOOP, the Axiom Station, Vast's Haven-1, and Starlab Space's station.
Russia's space agency (Roscosmos) also plans to create a successor space station, though its plans have evolved over the past few years. According to a recent statement from Oleg Orlov, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), the new Russian Orbital Station (ROS) will include the modules that make up the Russian Orbital Segment of ISS - Zarya, Zvezda, Poisk, Rassvet, Nauka, and Pricha. The announcement was made on December 18th at a press conference at the Russia Today (RT) international multimedia press center in Moscow.
According to Orlov, a special commission has been working on this process for several months. The decision reflects Russia's geopolitical position amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, characterized by international sanctions, terminated agreements, and diminished resources.
Evolving Concept
This represents an alteration of Roscosmos' original plan, which was an evolution of the Orbital Piloted Assembly and Experiment Complex (OPSEK) concept proposed in 2009. This station was to include the modules that made up the Russian Orbital Segment, but the plan was abandoned in 2017 after a feasibility study showed it was more favorable to maintain participation in the ISS program. In 2021, Roscosmos announced that its involvement with the ISS program would end in 2024, citing concerns about the condition of its modules (some of which are close to three decades old).
*Artist's concept for the Russian Orbital Station (ROS). Credit: Roscosmos*
At this point, the OPSEK concept was renamed the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS), or *Rossiyskaya orbital'naya stantsiya* (ROS) in Russian - not to be confused with the Russian Orbital Segment (also ROS). This updated plan would no longer include Russia's ISS modules, with plans for an inaugural launch of the scientific and energy module planned for 2027. By 2030, Roscosmos planned to launch three additional modules that would make up the station's core, including the Universal Node (UNM), Gateway (SM), and Base Module (BM).
By 2035, up to three more modules were to be added to the station, with the possibility of one private habitat for space tourism. The proposed station would accommodate a crew of 2 or more cosmonauts and would be able to fly autonomously for months, if needed.
Recycled Modules, New Orbit
The latest concept for the ROS reflects Roscosmos' changing situation in recent years, owing to sanctions and the termination of international cooperation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. According to Orlov's announcement, Russia will separate its modules from the ISS once the program is completed in 2030, forming the core of the ROS, with other modules to follow. "The Scientific and Technical Council of Roscosmos supported this proposal and approved the deployment of a Russian orbital station as part of the Russian segment of the ISS as the main possible scenario," said Orlov, who was quoted by the Russian state news agency TASS.
Orlov also indicated that the ROS would have an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees, which Orlov stated was selected for geopolitical reasons. This orbit will allow Russia to launch from its newer sites that were built to reduce Russia's reliance on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan - the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia's north, and the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East. This has become all the more important due to the recent damage inflicted on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which has temporarily halted all Roscosmos flights to the ISS.
This announcement reflects what Denis Manturov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, said on Dec. 5th during a press conference at the Rossiya National Center. At the time, Manturov stated that at the end of November, the RAS had decided to alter the plan for a station in polar orbit (96 degrees). This would enable orbital observations over the entirety of Russia and place experiments around the north magnetic pole (where Earth's magnetic field offers virtually no protection against cosmic rays) to study the impact on living organisms.
This new orbit will still allow Russia to launch cargo and crewed missions from its domestic launch sites. Manturov also stated that India was considering the same orbit for its Bharatiya Antriksh Station, and the decision would allow for international cooperation between the two stations.
*Artist's impression of India's proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). Credit: IBEF*
Unrealistic?
However, there are some in Russia who have serious doubts that the ROS will remain serviceable long enough for any such cooperation to take place. Maria Sokolova, writing in the Russian newspaper New Izvestia, penned a severe indictment of Roscosmos' and the RAS's plan to recycle its ISS modules. The main issue, she wrote, is comments made by the same Orlov back in 2022, where he stated that the growing problem of bacteria and fungi that had accumulated on the ISS over time represented a threat to the safety of astronauts and cosmonauts stationed there.
The statement was made in an interview with Russia's state-owned RIA Novosti. When asked why the modules of the Russian segment could not be used to create the ROS, he stated unequivocally:
An analysis of the results of microbiological monitoring of the habitat of the ISS RS modules, carried out within the framework of the full-time medical control operations, indicates that the state of the ISS habitat is deteriorating. It is an objective process. Generalized results show that in 65% of the analyzed samples of the latest expeditions, microorganisms were found in quantities exceeding regulatory requirements. Among the representatives of bacterial flora isolated from the habitat of the ISS, species that are of medical importance and are capable of causing allergic reactions and some types of soft tissue and upper respiratory tract diseases have been identified.
These issues have not changed in the past three years; if anything, they've become worse. Orlov's expressed concerns also reflected statements made the previous year about the modules' aging condition, which prompted the decision not to reuse them. In essence, Russia's decision to reuse its modules would mean that it would be inheriting all of the ISS's current problems, which are biological, technical, and structural. This is especially true of Zarya and Unity modules, which are both 27 years old, followed by Zvezda (25 years old).
These modules are all experiencing ongoing issues due to extreme temperature fluctuations and radiation, leading to material fatigue and air leaks. This requires continuous maintenance by the crew, taking time away from scientific research and other activities the station was created to fulfill. After all, the ISS was originally designed for 15 years of service, but its lifespan has been extended many times, which is leading to diminishing returns on its scientific benefits. Alas, the motivation is clear: Russia is facing a financial crisis due to the war in Ukraine, and Roscosmos is not immune to its effects.
Further Reading: Izvestia, Ars Technica
