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Russia is committed to starting a new stage in space without the help of third parties. After it was announced that it will leave the International Space Station in 2024, Roscosmos announced the first details about it ROSS, the orbital service station that will become operational in 2028. Vladimir Soloviev, chief designer of RKK Energiya – the company in charge of construction – said in an interview that his new station will work autonomously and will be a springboard for lunar exploration.
ROSS will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 372 km from Earth and an inclination of 96.9 degrees. According to Soloiev, the choice of this orbit is because it allows it a broader view of Russia and other territoriesand conducting biomedical research of the human body in orbit.
The new orbital service station will help to understand the dangers that astronauts will face in future space missions. It will also be able to monitor both poles of the earth every hour and a half using optical, infrared, ultraviolet detectors and other instruments.
According to Russia, this orbit gives them more advantages over the ISS because with the 51.6 degrees they are currently flying in, they can only see the nadir of just 10% of Russian territory.
ROSS will operate autonomously, without a crew
Unlike the International Space Station ROSS is built with autonomy in mind. The director of RKK Energiya stated that they are trying to make this station more technically advanced and more efficient in terms of research. Soloviev points this out One of the current limitations is the astronautsince it is very expensive to have it in space.
Food, oxygen and water for the crew are quite expensive. In addition, flights outside the Earth’s magnetosphere increase the radiation dose to astronauts, which somewhat reduces the permissible duration of missions.
Vladimir Soloviev
Although ROSS will operate autonomously for a long time, to receive manned flights. But before that point is reached, Russia needs to get all systems up and running, and that requires the work of cosmonauts. While calculations still need to be done to determine the maximum time they can be in space, Soloviev said a month or two would not have any health effects.
How Russia’s new space station is being built
Russia is building its orbital fuel station in two stages. The first of these will begin in 2028 with the launch of the NEM and a module with six docking nodes using an Angara A5M rocket. Later, solar panels and batteries will be sent to ensure enough power to conduct observations and radar experiments.
That First manned mission to depart from Bainkonur Cosmodrome in 2028, as soon as the node module docks. Soloviev confirmed that they will make two manned trips per year during the construction phase. The ROSS will have two cabins and one bathroom, enough to accommodate four cosmonauts.
Soloviev confirmed this ROSS will operate in conjunction with the International Space Stationl, at least for two years.
We must continue to operate the ISS until we have created a more or less tangible structure for ROSS. Although the ISS and ROSS will fly in orbits with different inclinations and it will not be possible to fly from one station to another, we can ensure the efficient operation of both the Russian segment of the ISS and the ROSS.
The second phase begins in 2030 with the shipment of two modules for research and a pressurized platform for spacecraft maintenance. According to Energiya’s chief designer, they could use this platform to tow satellites or stranded ships to refuel and return them to orbit.
ROSS would be a “stepping stone” for manned flights to the Moon and Mars
This was assured by Vladimir Soloviev, who is also the flight director of the Russian segment of the International Space Station Creating your new space station is a necessary step before a lunar mission. While NASA and others have their sights set on the moon, Russia believes they must first explore using automated equipment.
“It’s irrational to just put the Russian flag on the moon and spend huge sums of money on it,” he said. Soloviev believes that with political will and sufficient funding, ROSS can be used as a base to build a space complex on the moon or mars.
The station would allow two-start schemes to be implemented, where the crew would await the arrival of the upper stage to take a trip to the moon. This would reduce the need for super-heavy rockets or more expensive launchers. Russia is considering the use of reusable ships and even ROSS becomes a kind of spaceport.
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At the moment everything is on paper and we will have to wait several years to confirm whether Russia’s plans in space will be realized.