Russia pivots to reuse International Space Station modules
Russia is stepping back from plans to build an all-new Russian Orbital Station (ROS) and is now looking to base the project on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), after Roscosmos, Russia’s state space corporation, backed a proposal to deploy ROS “as part of the Russian segment” of the ISS.
The updated approach also changes the target orbit. Russian officials have referenced a 51.6-degree inclination, aligning ROS with the ISS orbit, instead of the polar-orbit concept previously discussed for broader Earth-observation coverage and launches tied to the Vostochny Cosmodrome, which is a Russian space launch facility in the Amur Oblast, located above the 51st parallel north in the Russian Far East.
The shift comes as the ISS heads toward end-of-life planning. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected SpaceX to develop a United States Deorbit Vehicle intended to ensure a controlled reentry when station operations end.
The ISS remains central to human spaceflight as the market transitions toward privately operated stations. In the Gulf, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has an agreement with Axiom Space for crewed access to the ISS, and the Saudi Space Agency has highlighted its human spaceflight program, including the 2023 mission that flew Saudi astronauts to the ISS.
