Russia Proposes BRICS Create Its Own Module for Russian Orbital Station

Russia has proposed that BRICS create a separate specialized module for the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) where the countries of the association can conduct scientific research, Roscosmos CEO Yuri Borisov said at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Space Cooperation of the BRICS countries.

"I would like to invite BRICS partners to consider participation in this project and, by joining forces, to create a full-fledged module that, being part of the ROSS, would allow the BRICS countries to use the possibilities of low Earth orbit to implement their national space programs," the Roscosmos head said.

According to him, the ROSS will be the next step in the development of manned cosmonautics.

Earlier, Borisov said that the Russian Federation had proposed the participation of African countries in the ROSS project and the creation of national modules for the station. Later, he clarified that Russia is not only open to cooperation within the framework of the creation of a new station with African countries.

Currently, the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia is conducting a preliminary design for a new station, which should be completed in 2023. It is expected that the first module of the new station will be launched in 2027, and cosmonauts will be able to go to it in 2028. Construction is expected to be completed in 2032.

The ROSS should appear by the time the decommissioning of the International Space Station begins (scheduled for 2028-2030), in which, in addition to Russia, the United States, the European Space Agency, Canada, and Japan participate.

In addition, the CEO of Roscosmos invited the BRICS countries to jointly develop a warning system for dangerous situations in near-Earth space called "Milky Way."

"We would like to propose to jointly implement this project [Milky Way warning system] within BRICS by coordinating our organizational, technical and financial resources while creating such a system," Borisov said at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Space Cooperation of the BRICS countries.

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The rapid development of space technologies and the rise of space powers have led to a significant increase in the density of satellite constellations, he added. Under these conditions, the development of common space traffic rules for all countries and detailed analysis of the situation in near-Earth space are extremely relevant, Borisov said.

"The creation of the Milky Way system involves the deployment of its network of observation stations across Earth, which implies great international cooperation both during its creation and during its further operation," Borisov said.

Borisov also highlighted the importance of the creation of the BRICS Development Bank, which should become the driving force behind the organization's large-scale joint space projects.

He recalled that work is already underway to create a BRICS remote sensing satellite constellation, which will expand the capabilities of each member of the group to solve global climate change issues, reduce the consequences of natural disasters, protect the environment, and support sustainable socioeconomic development.

Moreover, Borisov offered the BRICS countries programs for additional professional education in the field of space science.

"We offer our partners a program of additional professional education in the fields of space science on the basis of leading Russian universities with the assistance of the state corporation Roscosmos," he said.

According to Borisov, the BRICS countries face common tasks to create equal opportunities in the conditions of the modern digital economy, as well as a single educational and scientific-technological space.

BRICS unites the world's largest emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

As South Africa's Ambassador-at-Large for Asia and BRICS Anil Sooklal earlier stated, 22 nations have already applied to join the bloc, and even more have shown interest.