Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov has suggested that BRICS countries should consider jointly creating a fully-fledged space module that would allow them "to use the possibilities of low Earth orbit to implement their national space programs" during the recent meeting of the joint committee on space cooperation of the BRICS member nations.
S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, the leading rocket-space enterprise in Russia, has been making a preliminary design of the new orbital station which is due to be completed in 2023. The first module of the new station is expected to be launched in 2027, and astronauts will be able to operate it in 2028.
"We must not forget that the new Russian orbital station has new capabilities with respect to the ISS," Russian Academy of Sciences Space Research Institute senior researcher Nathan Eismont told Sputnik.
"This is due to the fact that the inclination of the orbit, the angle between the equator and the orbital plane, is not the same as that of the ISS. This is a retrograde orbit. That is, when viewed from the North Pole, the orbital rotation is opposite to the rotation of the ISS. Why is it done? Because the orbit is almost polar, the angle of inclination there is approximately 98 degrees. When it's more than 90 [degrees] that [means it's moving] already in the other direction. And it gives new opportunities. This means that the polar regions become available for observation, which, of course, does not happen for the ISS."
In this photo taken from video footage released by the Roscosmos Space Agency, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, bottom, and spaceflight participant Yusaku Maezawa, of Japan, above, are seen inside the spaceship as the Soyuz-2.1a rocket booster blasts off from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
© AP Photo / Roscosmos Space Agency
"This orbit is also convenient because it is sun-synchronous. That is, the sun retains its angle with the orbital plane of this new Russian station, which is proposed to be elevated to the international level. That is, they can explore practically the entire surface of the earth at the new station," Eismont continued.
Sputnik's interlocutor noted that the new module could look "pretty much like" the Russian module on the International Space Station (ISS). There will be maximum constructive borrowings, which increases reliability, according to the expert.
It was planned that the ROS would be inaugurated prior to the decommissioning of the ISS, scheduled for 2028-2030. The ISS is currently used by Russia, the United States, the European Space Agency, Canada, and Japan.
"ISS participants may soon express desire to participate in this project too," Eismont believes. "Because the advantage is quite obvious and additional opportunities appear. And there will definitely be a queue. Now, how many participants [of the ISS] there are? Five? This list will expand immediately after the announcement that such a joint project will start."
How BRICS Could Benefit From Joint Space Project?
BRICS countries are likely to benefit immensely from the developing project, according to the expert. Brazil and South Africa may win a lot because they are interested in observation of the South Pole and the new station – unlike the ISS – would offer them this opportunity, he explained.
There are great new opportunities for the People's Republic of China, too. Even though the Chinese have launched their own orbital station, it has "a low inclination", somewhere around 30 degrees, per the expert. That means that the Chinese cannot currently observe Polar regions.
"And besides, there is another feature that is so unpleasant for Chinese specialists," Eismont continued. "China is under heavy US sanctions. These sanctions were reportedly slapped because of the fear in the United States that China will borrow American technologies. However, it could be completely different: the United States simply does not want to let an extra competitor enter this market."
Another participant is India. Geographically, India, in general, can largely consider the same tasks as China and grasp unique opportunities, according to the expert.
There also could be a political benefit in India's participation, he pointed out.
"It is no secret that relations between India and China are not always the best," Eismont said. "And the instrument of cooperation in space, I think, can serve as an instrument for improving relations between China and India. (…) Previously, the space project was the impetus for the end of the Cold War, so now cooperation in space allows improving cooperation on the ground. Take a look at the ISS: despite all our problems on Earth, the ISS operates as before. This means that countries can cooperate better in space than on Earth. That is, such a project looks very, very attractive."
Are BRICS Countries Prepared?
The BRICS club has yet another advantage for joint cooperation in space: Chinese and Indian space technologies have a lot in common with that of Russia, Eismont remarked.
"The Chinese space industry is largely built on the basis of Soviet technologies," the expert explained. "Part of the Indian space industry also relies on some of the technology that was transferred [by Moscow] to India at one time. For example, a hydrogen stage with an engine was transferred to India in the past, and it is still being successfully used. That is, this cooperation of both countries with the USSR and Russia has a long history."
While the Republic of South Africa appears to be a novice in the field, it has its own advantages. The crux of the matter is that not only Brazil, but also South Africa, are located in the Southern Hemisphere, and this makes it possible to use the control station there. And this, of course, greatly expands the possibilities of operating this station, according to Sputnik's interlocutor. "That is, literally everyone wins here," he stressed.
When it comes to Brazil, it has long been striving to join the club of influential space powers.
"Brazil certainly has industrial opportunities for this," Eismont stressed. "It is necessary to include Brazil in the project, where these opportunities will be realized to a greater extent. That is, with regard to the level of technology, Brazil has such competencies. Participation in the joint project of the BRICS countries for the development and further participation in the Russian orbital station offers an opportunity to confirm these competencies."