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Russia May Attach First ROS Modules to ISS by 2028
Russia wants to use the ISS as a bridge to its new orbital station, with the first ROS module expected in 2028 and full deployment in 2034.
Image: ITzine
Russia is considering using the International Space Station as a stepping stone for its planned Russian Orbital Station, or ROS. According to Oleg Kononenko, head of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, the first ROS modules could be docked to the Russian segment of the ISS, with the station’s extension to 2030 giving the program more room to make that transition.
The idea is to avoid a hard break in Russia’s crewed space program. Each extra year on the ISS gives teams time to complete scientific work, test new systems, and keep specialist crews in place instead of pausing operations and rebuilding later at higher cost.
Under the current plan, the first ROS elements would not launch as a fully independent station. Instead, they would initially attach to the existing Russian ISS segment, allowing engineers and crews to rely on familiar infrastructure, procedures, and flight-tested experience.
The main dates have not changed. The first ROS module is expected in 2028, while full deployment of the station is targeted for 2034. Earlier, the project’s core element was described as the science and power module, which had originally been prepared for the ISS before being folded into the ROS configuration.
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ROS timeline and ISS transition
The shift from the ISS to ROS has been under discussion for several years, and the schedule has moved more than once. In 2021, Roscosmos approved the overall concept for the new Russian station. Public statements later gave different target dates for the first module launch, ranging from 2027 to 2028.
Now the emphasis appears to be on a phased transition rather than a clean split. For Russia, continuity matters: the ISS remains the country’s only active platform for continuous crewed orbital work. Leaving before a replacement is ready would mean halting crew launches, winding down experiments, and rebuilding operational readiness from scratch.
ISS partners are following a similar timetable. NASA and its partners have long planned to operate the ISS through 2030, and in 2024 the agency selected SpaceX to develop the vehicle that will deorbit the station after the program ends. That contract is worth up to $843 million.
If the schedule holds, there would be roughly two years between the launch of ROS’s first module in 2028 and the planned end of ISS operations in 2030. That overlap could become the real test of whether ROS is ready to replace the station Russia has worked on for more than a quarter-century.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via ITzine
