Russia's new space station launch in 2027

Now as most of you are aware Russia has a long and distinguished history in space exploration and research, from the launch of the world's first ever satellite Sputnik back in 1957 to then in the early 1960's sending Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova into space as the first man and woman to do so and then in the 1970's launching a number of successful space stations particularly the Mir station with preceeded the current International Space Station which is coming to the end of its useful life.
So with that in mind Russia is initiating the construction of the new Russian Orbital Space Station to replace the current and aging International Space Station, with the first modules scheduled for launch into space in 2027. This ambitious project will comprise six modules and is estimated to cost approximately 609 billion rubles, making it approximately a quarter cheaper in cost than the Chinese Tiangong station.
However, Russia's ambitions in the field of cosmonautics, particularly in the area of deep space exploration, necessitate the reliance on nuclear energy sources and space biotechnology.
At the plenary session of the Korolev Readings on 28 January, Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer for Manned Space Systems and Complexes at RSC Energia, announced that the first scientific and power module (SEM), which will initiate the construction of the new Russian Orbital Station (ROS), is scheduled for launch in December 2027.This timing coincides with a predicted increase in the frequency of interruptions in the operation of the International Space Station systems.
It is already known that the new orbital station is to be created in two stages. The first stage, scheduled before 2030, will involve the launch and docking of four modules in space. The first of these modules is the life support module itself. Its primary function is to generate electricity and oxygen for the entire station, as well as water supply and sewerage. The base module, which will accommodate up to four astronauts, the gateway module, and the universal-node module, are scheduled to be docked to the Life support module. The latter is intended to function as the centre of the entire station. All other space sation segments are to be docked at this location.
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Finally, at the second stage (2031–2033), the new station is planned to be expanded by two target segments. The rationale behind this expansion is clear. This is because, at about the same time, a platform for receiving and sending spacecraft of various purposes, including to the Moon, as well as for studying deep space, is planned to be docked to the new station.
The primary distinguishing feature of the new Russian station will be its location in a so-called high-latitude, or polar, orbit with an inclination of 96.8 degrees. This will enable ROS to traverse the entire Russian territory, as well as the polar regions of the planet, which are inaccessible from the ISS due to its 51.6-degree orbital inclination.

The creation of the ROS will require a total of 34 launch vehicles. As Vladimir Kozhevnikov, General Designer of RSC Energia and General Designer of the ROS, informed Interfax, 15 launches of heavy launch vehicles of the Angara-A5M type and 19 launches of medium-class launch vehicles of the Soyuz-2.1b type are planned.

Initially, Progress ROS transport cargo ships are scheduled to be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, with all subsequent launches planned to take place from the Vostochny Cosmodrome starting in 2031.

The estimated cost of creating the space station is approximately 609 billion rubles, or about 45 billion yuan. This is approximately a quarter of the cost of China's Tiangong manned space station and more than 20 times cheaper than the ISS cost for all participating countries.
"The initial three-year plan for the new station project was to allocate 157 billion rubles. However, we have collaborated with the Finance Ministry to postpone a number of events in the hope that they will be financed at a later date. At the time of the parliamentary hearings in the State Duma on July 3, 2024, which were quoted by Interfax, Yuri Borisov, CEO of Roscosmos, stated that contracts worth approximately 97 billion rubles had been prepared and signed.

He also mentioned that government contracts have been signed for the implementation of experimental design work on the creation of the space station complex and the other modules with a manned transport ship and a heavy-class launch vehicle "Angara" at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
Perhaps the most significant element of the ROS is its equipment with a base station for forming a swarm of small controlled spacecraft. As outlined by Viktor Khartov, General Designer of Automatic Space Systems and Complexes at the main institute of Roscosmos, TsNIIMash, during the Korolev Readings, the ROS will possess the capability to swiftly deploy, service, and maintain small spacecraft. Alexander Zheleznyakov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky, has informed Expert that the ROS will facilitate the launch of a group of automatic satellites for remote sensing of the Earth from the station. This will enable enhanced observation frequency of specific areas and address information gaps that cannot be obtained from the station.

The new station is an important step towards Russia's return to the forefront of manned space exploration. "Russia truly requires such a station. Absent such a station, the future of Russia's manned space exploration could be at risk," says Alexander Zheleznyakov.

However, it is already clear that this is not sufficient to explore deep space. "To explore the Moon and Mars, humanity must overcome two major technological challenges. The first is related to the use of nuclear energy in space, where we already have a significant encountered problems.At present, there are no operational models of nuclear reactor engines that are suitable for use in spacecraft in either the United States or Russia.The primary challenge in installing a nuclear engine on a spacecraft is the size and weight of the engine. Pavel Bulat, head of the Mechanics and Energy Systems Laboratory at the National Research University ITMO, said "Engineers must achieve a significant reduction in the scale of the nuclear power plant to ensure it can be launched into space without loss of power using existing methods."The item's current weight makes launching it unfeasible, and it is therefore unlikely that nuclear will be used even in the next 50 years. 

The second challenge is how to sustain life in space, ensuring the viability of human habitation and reproduction," Andrey Ionin, Advisor to the General Director of Geoscan Group, told Expert. He emphasised that the challenge lies in the absence of concerted efforts to address these barriers, which demand a level of commitment comparable to that exerted by the USSR and the USA in the initial phase of the space era (before the Moon landing). So there are many challenges to be over come in the future but the new international space station of Russia which is carrying on the traditions going back some 50 years to the days of the first Russian space station Mir continue and Russia continues to be at the forefront of space research and developing technolgy.