Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

A general schedule for the creation of the Russian orbital station has been approved.

Along with Roscosmos chief, Yuri Borisov, 19 general directors of the main cooperation enterprises recently inked the document.

The deployment of the Russian station is planned to begin with the launch of the scientific and energy module in 2027.

By 2030, the plan is to create the core of the station from four modules launched into orbit: scientific and energy (NEM-ROS), universal node (UUM), gateway (SM) and base (BM).

A second stage phase, from 2031 to 2033, involves station expansion by docking two target modules: CM1 and CM2.

The schedule includes not only the work on the design and manufacture of the station modules, but also ensuring flight tests of the new-generation manned transport ship, the creation of launch vehicles and ground-based space infrastructure facilities, and the work of scientific institutes in the industry to support the project.

Why now?

A Roscosmos posting notes that the creation of the Russian orbital station will allow:

• continuation of the Russian human spaceflight program, taking into account the termination of the Russian Federation’s participation in the International Space Station (ISS) project;
• solving problems of scientific and technological development, the national economy and national security “that are not accessible on the Russian segment of the ISS due to technological limitations and the terms of international agreements”;
• increasing the competitiveness of domestic crewed space complexes;
• utilization of the station as a platform for testing space technologies.

Signed contracts

Russia Orbital Station artwork.
Image credit: Roscosmos TV Studio/Inside Outer Space screengrab

 

Government contracts are signed, Roscosmos adds, for experimental design work on the creation of the Russian space station, including a heavy-class launch vehicle “Angara” at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

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