New proposed Russian space station will be able to monitor the entire world



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On Thursday, the Russian company Energia Corporation, responsible for managing Russian modules aboard the International Space Station, proposed the creation of a new national orbital space station, which should be deployed after 2024.

Russia’s next orbital space station could be deployed in an orbit that will allow it to keep an eye on the entire surface of the Earth, and the Arctic region in particular. This is according to a document from Energia Rocket and Space Corporation submitted to the Space Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences seen by Sputnik.

According to the company, two orbital tilts – 72 and 98 degrees, have been proposed for the new station, with the latter being suggested for the first time.

A tilt of 72 degrees would allow the station to observe the Earth’s surface at latitudes of up to 80 degrees, giving a clear view of most of the planet’s surface, including the outer ring of the circle. arctic polar and the future transport artery of the Northern Sea Route. An orbital tilt of 98 degrees would allow the station to monitor the entire Earth.

Dr Andrei Ionin, a fellow of the Russian Tsiolkovsky Academy of Cosmonautics and a leading expert on Russia’s GPS equivalent GLONASS, says a 98-degree tilt could help in monitoring northern territories, although satellites Russians cheaper weighing 15 kg each are also able to do the same job.

“No one has ever set up space stations at such inclinations. Such orbits are necessary to observe the Earth. They are practical because the Sun is constantly located at a certain angle, this is called the synchronous orbit of the sun, and the equipment for filming only needs to be calibrated once, ”explained Ionin. .

Russia has contributed vast economic and military resources in recent years to strengthen its presence in the Arctic with the aim of making its northern territories a major engine of economic growth, both through the exploration of vast resources. untapped natural resources of the region and the creation of a major new transport route to facilitate trade between Europe and Asia.

Map of the arctic region showing the Northeast Passage, the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage

New Russian space station

Energia Corporation has been pushing for the creation of a new autonomous Russian space station for years. On Thursday, at a meeting chaired by the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Sergeev, Vladimir Soloviev, deputy general manager of Energia, indicated that Russia should consider creating a new national space station because the systems of the International Space Station were starting to show their age. Soloviev also later clarified that Russia has no plans to abandon the ISS or end its existing partnerships with other space countries.

The proposed new Russian space station is expected to have between three and seven modules and accommodate crews of two to four people. It is expected to be rolled out at some point after 2024, although no specific timeline has been set so far.

In October, Soloviev indicated that the new Russian station would be similar in design to the Mir, a Soviet space station that operated between 1986 and 2001 and which in many ways served as a precursor to the ISS.

© Sputnik / Sergey Pyatakov

Mir space station orbiting above Earth

According to the senior Russian space industry official, the station could include a commercial module to accommodate four space tourists, with the module including two large windows and Wi-Fi access. In addition, engineers plan to make it possible Regular docking of the station to a free-flight laboratory module.

At present, it is planned to launch the station’s modules using the new Angara-A5 heavy-lift launcher, capable of launching at least 24.5 tonnes of useful cargo into orbit. Earlier this year, Energia proposed using the Angara-A5 as an inexpensive way to send Russian cosmonauts to the moon and back without the need to develop a new ultra-heavy rocket.



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