For several years now, in discussing plans for its human spaceflight program beyond the International Space Station, Russian officials would proudly bring up the Russian Orbital Station, or ROS.
The first elements of ROS were to launch in 2027 so it would be ready for human habitation in 2028. Upon completion in the mid-2030s, the station would encompass seven shiny new modules, potentially including a private habitat for space tourists. It would be so sophisticated that the station could fly autonomously for months if needed.
Importantly, the Russian station was also to fly in a polar orbit at about 400 km. This would allow the station to fly over the entirety of Russia, observing the whole country. It would be important for national pride because cosmonauts would not need to launch from Kazakhstan anymore. Rather, rockets launching from the country’s new spaceport in eastern Russia, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, would easily reach the ROS in its polar orbit.
That was the plan, at least until this week, when a Russian official dropped a bombshell.
Recycling the ISS
Oleg Orlov, director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said ROS will no longer be composed of entirely new modules. Rather, its core will be the Russian segment of the International Space Station.
“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,” Orlov reportedly said.
Orlov’s announcement sheds light on a statement earlier in December from First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on the station’s orbit, which now makes more sense. “We’ve decided on a 51.6-degree inclination angle for our ROS space station,” he said. “Previously, we were considering a 96-degree inclination angle.” The International Space Station is situated in a 51.6-degree inclination orbit, easily accessible from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Essentially, then, in 2030, the Russian segment of the International Space Station will separate from the American-controlled side. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will then maneuver the aging US segment to reenter the atmosphere in a controlled manner and splash down into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.