Russia’s new space station, set to come online in 2027, is a crucial step for the country to maintain its position in space exploration and not fall behind its rivals. Yuri Borisov, the boss of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, emphasized the importance of getting the station up and running quickly to avoid losing capability due to a time gap.
Russia’s Roscosmos space agency is committed to building its own orbital outpost, separate from the International Space Station (ISS), which it announced its departure from last year. The ISS, a symbol of international diplomacy and collaboration since its launch in 1998, has been a platform for joint projects by space agencies from the US, Europe, Canada, and Japan. However, Russia’s involvement in the ISS project has been limited due to strained relations with the West following the war in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin, during a visit to a rocket corporation in Korolyov, stated that as the resources of the ISS run out, Russia needs to bring its own space station into service. He emphasized the need to not just have one segment, but the entire station operational. The first segment of Russia’s new space station is planned to be placed in orbit in 2027.
Yuri Borisov, the head of Roscosmos, highlighted the urgency of getting the Russian orbital station up and running quickly to avoid falling behind its rivals. He mentioned the aging of the ISS, which is expected to come to an end around 2030. If Russia does not start large-scale work on its own orbital station by 2024, it risks losing its capability due to the time gap. Currently, the ISS and China’s Tiangong Space Station are the only two space stations in orbit. However, private firms are also interested in building their own space stations as the cost of space exploration continues to decline.
Despite the failure of Russia’s Luna-25 mission earlier this year, which aimed to explore the lunar surface for signs of supporting a permanent human base, Putin expressed Russia’s commitment to its moon landing program. He acknowledged that mistakes happen in space exploration and that the experience gained from failures can be used in the future.
In conclusion, the launch of Russia’s new space station in 2027 is crucial for the country to maintain its position in space exploration and not fall behind its rivals. The urgency to get the station up and running quickly is driven by the aging of the ISS and the risk of losing capability if Russia does not start work on its own orbital station soon. Despite setbacks in its moon landing program, Russia remains committed to space exploration and sees failures as learning experiences for future endeavors.
