Roscosmos says: ISS until 2024, then go separate ways

[Streetwind]

The Russian space agency has greenlit the extension of the ISS project for 4 additional years, from 2020 to 2024: http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/24/russian-space-agency-endorses-iss-until-2024/

Afterwards, the Russian segment is to be undocked and converted into a self-contained Russian space station. This means the ISS project officially ends after 2024.

The USA have already approved the extension to 2024, so this is very good news for the ISS project. Even if it is to end in 2024, it was previously not known whether it would even run at all past 2020, considering the current political tensions between the US, Europe and Russia. With the two largest contributors confirming the extension, there's a very good chance for it to go through with the remaining three partners as well. Canada, Japan and the European Union are expected to give their answers no later than 2016; Germany at least has confirmed their committment, but not all of ESA's 21 other member nations are as convinced just yet. Still, I would be very surprised if any of them would pull out now, since this is basically "the final funding round". Might as well give it that one last go, even if it's a bit expensive.

The extension is extra nice in the context of the crew size expansion due in 2018. Right now, the six crewmembers are very busy just running the station and don't have that much time for science; but a seventh crew member would be able to be dedicated 100% to science, allowing us to get that much more out of our orbiting laboratory. It would have been a bummer if that crew size could have only been run for one or two years. Now we get six years!

As for the future of cross-national orbital projects past 2024: China has been fishing for interest in their planned space station due to go up in the early 2020's. They want international partners to come and participate. Depending on the scale they plan for, which is as of yet not precisely defined, this might potentially result in an ISS-2 of some description.

[Nibb31]

It's still nearly 10 years away. A lot can and will change by then.

[Peder]

Hi

I found this interesting article about Russia's involvement in the ISS space station will stop in 2024.

They want to create their own "orbital outpost" that so far will be a 3 module station.

http://www.space.com/28687-russia-space-station-parts-plan.html

[Kibble]

Does this mean Roskosmos will continue supporting Space Station as well as OPSEK? AFAIK the systems on board Service Module are inseparable, and necessary. Could USOS function as an independent facility?

[Frozen_Heart]

Its good that they agreed to extend it. I was worried that it would have to be brought down in 2018.

[Kryten]

USOS can't practically operate as a separate station without more some unfunded extra modules, but the USOS and most ROS modules are nearing the end of their service lives anyway. The only reason the Russians are continuing with OPSEK is that some of their ISS modules are so delayed they haven't launched yet and barely will've done by end-of-life; the entire current ROS would be deorbited under this plan.

[Nibb31]

Does this mean Roskosmos will continue supporting Space Station as well as OPSEK? AFAIK the systems on board Service Module are inseparable, and necessary. Could USOS function as an independent facility?

Zarya belongs to NASA (built in Russia, but paid for by NASA) and is technically the USOS service module. If they go ahead with this plan, they would detach Zvezda from Zarya. However, Zvezda is getting old, so they would probably ditch it after transferring the newer modules over to the new station.

[Kibble]

USOS can't practically operate as a separate station without more some unfunded extra modules, but the USOS and most ROS modules are nearing the end of their service lives anyway. The only reason the Russians are continuing with OPSEK is that some of their ISS modules are so delayed they haven't launched yet and barely will've done by end-of-life; the entire current ROS would be deorbited under this plan.

Sad </3

At least Space Station's (and Mir's) spirit will live on in OPSEK. I hope Node 4 launches, so all the hardware heritage of USOS doesn't go to waste.

[basic.syntax]

Whew. The politics situation is such that, when I read the title, I had a minor panic that Russia was going to undock their ISS modules NOW. Breathing normally again

[Nibb31]

I doubt Node 4 will be launched at this point. Launching it on a Delta or Atlas would require developing a service module and autonomous docking system, which would make it a whole new spacecraft. If it is used, it will be repurposed as part of the DSH.

[Kryten]

Was any work actually done bringing node 4 to flight status?

[xenomorph555]

So in the 20's we will have 2 Mir class stations (Tiangong-3 and OPSEK), nice

I always preferred the Mir class type station compared to ISS, cheaper and less complex.

[Kibble]

I doubt Node 4 will be launched at this point. Launching it on a Delta or Atlas would require developing a service module and autonomous docking system, which would make it a whole new spacecraft. If it is used, it will be repurposed as part of the DSH.

Once Orion is flying, could a ESA service module be modified to act as a space tug for Node 4?

[Nibb31]

Spacecraft aren't Lego. You can't just swap modules in and out. Look at how the Orion SM was supposed to be derived from the ATV. The result, far from straightforward, has taken years to develop.

[Kryten]

Even if node 4 were to be launched, what purpose could it possibly serve?

[Kibble]

Look at how the Orion SM was supposed to be derived from the ATV. The result, far from straightforward, has taken years to develop.

But surely years less than if they designed it from scratch.

Generally my question is in the post-Shuttle era whether it would be more effective to modify USOS derived modules to be capable of rendezvous and docking like Russian modules do, or modifying Orion SM as a space tug?

[J.Random]

I don't think it's a good plan. To be 100% successful, too many puzzle pieces should fall into right places: Vostochny cosmodrome should be fully operational, PTK-NP should fly already, new modules (OKA-T, inflatable habitat, NEM, etc) should be finished in time. Anything taken from ISS requires quite a change in orbit, afaik. And yet, seeing as US politicians and space program managers don't want to play with russians, even if scientists and engineers do, that's our only plan to keep our presence in orbit.

[Kryten]

Given this means an official abandonment of the VShOS plan, they could just keep visiting it with Soyuz from Baikonur. NEM and the node module are the only new systems strictly required for the station.

[RainDreamer]

I wonder where they are going to put their new station though.

[Albert VDS]

What about the financial part of this whole story, Russia isn't having it's best economical times.

Another problem is time. They want to detach in 2024? Well they best get started to develop modules to actually have a functional space station.

9 years isn't a lot of time, specially if you don't have a lot of money to spend.

To me this sounds more like them wanting to talk big, when in fact they have no other choice.

I always preferred the Mir class type station compared to ISS, cheaper and less complex.

Don't forget that MIR was a not the safest of places to be in it's final years.

[Streetwind]

How the hell are there 17 replies to this when I posted this five days ago and got one dismissive quip in return? :S

[J.Random]

How the hell are there 17 replies to this when I posted this five days ago and got one dismissive quip in return? :S

Welcome to Ze Internet.

[xenomorph555]

Don't forget that MIR was a not the safest of places to be in it's final years.

I was talking about Mir sized stations not MIR itself, and of course it had some incidents as it was 15 years old using 80's technology.

[Sampa]

I was talking about Mir sized stations not MIR itself, and of course it had some incidents as it was 15 years old using 80's technology.

Got anything against 70s and 80s technology?

[xenomorph555]

Got anything against 70s and 80s technology?

Not at all, infact I respect what the Soviets were able to do with Mir and the Salyuts, however saying a modern station won't be safe because a 15 year old 80's station wasn't is silly.