Russian Orbital Station

Overview

In April 2021, Roscosmos floated the idea of leaving the International Space Station program after 2024, worried about the state of its older modules. By July 2022, the decision to withdraw was official, and plans for a new, fully Russian station—the Russian Orbital Station—emerged, with launches expected by the mid-2020s.

In December 2024, Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov said crewed missions to the ROS would begin in 2028, aligning with the ISS program’s end as coordinated with NASA. The station was first meant to fly in a 400-kilometer, Sun-synchronous orbit at a 98-degree inclination, ideal for Arctic observation. However, a December 2025 shift changed that: the station will now be built from the ISS, using a 51.6-degree orbit, and will later share its orbital plane with India’s Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2040.

Assembly

ROS is envisioned to include up to seven modules, with 2035 being the targeted completion deadline. The first phase of construction will consist of four modules: Nauka, Universal Node Module (UUM), Science Power Module (NEM), and the gateway airlock module. Nauka, launched and docked to the ISS in 2021, will be repurposed as a core ROS module. NEM, initially intended to be launched to the ISS in 2024, will be refitted on the ground to prepare the module for its new role as part of ROS.

A base module, built from an upgraded second NEM, was included in previous plans in place of Nauka and is still expected to be added to the station at some point. Internal RKK Energia documents obtained by Scientific American in December 2025 laid out the following timeline: 2028 – Prichal is undocked from Nauka and deorbited.

Late 2028 – UUM is launched on a Soyuz-2.1b from Baikonur and docked to Nauka in Prichal's place. 2029 – NEM is launched on a Proton-M from Baikonur and docked to UUM's lower port. 2030 – Gateway/Airlock Module (ShM) is launched on a Soyuz-2.1b from Baikonur and docked to UUM's side port.

The core ROS modules–Nauka, UUM, NEM, and ShM—would separate from the ISS at this point and operate as an independent space station, using specially modified Progress spacecraft for station-keeping. The NEM-derived base module is expected to be launched on an Angara A5M from Vostochny. The two 'target' modules are expected to be launched by 2033, also on the Angara A5M. The full assembly plan for ROS was publicly presented by Roscosmos and RKK Energia on 8 April 2026.

Lunar expeditionary station

On 8 April 2026, a proposed extension of the ROS program included the development of an 'Expeditionary Module-Station' intended to serve as a base for future deep-space and lunar missions. Derived from the Science Power Module (NEM) and the next-generation Orel spacecraft, this approximately 22-tonne module is designed to accommodate a crew of two to four personnel and features a heavily shielded radiation shelter. The module will be launched by an Angara-A5M rocket and initially dock with the ROS in low Earth orbit for flight testing and systems verification.

Upon successful completion of these trials, the expeditionary module will detach from the ROS and rendezvous with a heavy space tug, which will then propel the module from Earth orbit to the Moon. Once established in lunar orbit, the module will operate autonomously as an independent, human-tended lunar space station designed for periodic crew visits, either as a standalone station or as part of an international cislunar station.