Artistic depiction of the Russian Orbital Service Station /Archive photo. The promising Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) will be place...
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| Artistic depiction of the Russian Orbital Service Station /Archive photo. |
“If we talk about the final decision on the inclination of the orbit, then it depends on the following chain of factors. First, the orbital inclination of the station must be exactly the same as the inclination of the orbit of Zeus, and the inclination of the orbit of Zeus must be such as is necessary for its have from the point of view of the optimal departure trajectory to the Moon and beyond," Rogozin said.
He clarified that he met with the leadership of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation (RKK), which is preparing a draft design of ROSS, and discussed this issue. The new station may not be placed in the 97-98 degree orbit that was previously chosen. The orbit will also be high-latitude, but no longer polar, Rogozin explained.
"In this regard, the station has the functionality to maintain the Zeus, ensuring and opening its panels, and at the same time delivering to it what needs to be towed. Naturally, in a non-operating state for the reactor. Then this station acquires another unique purpose, which we we see, it is very important from the point of view of manned cosmonautics," he added.
Earlier, Rogozin said that cosmonauts would be able to move on a manned spacecraft between the promising Russian orbital station and the Zeus nuclear tug to control the assembly of the tug. Later, he told RIA Novosti that the cosmonauts would not only control the assembly from the ship, but would also be able to go into outer space to intervene in this process if necessary.
At present, the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation (RKK) is preparing a draft design of the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS). The preliminary design should be completed in the third quarter of 2023, after which the development of design documentation will begin. It was reported that the new station will fly in a high-latitude orbit with an inclination of 96-98 degrees, and not 51.6 degrees, like the ISS .
The nuclear tug has been developed in Russia since 2010. Earlier, Yury Urlichich, First Deputy General Director of Roscosmos , spoke in one of his presentations about plans for the first flight into orbit in 2030 for flight tests. It was reported that the nuclear tug will be designed for flights to the moon and the planets of the solar system. It was named "Zeus", and the research and development work itself is called "Nuklon".
The first Russian Zeus mission to Jupiter will take 50 months and will last from 2030 to 2034. Zeus and the payload module will be launched into orbit from the Vostochny cosmodrome on separate launch vehicles.
They will dock, travel to the Moon, fly around it, and return to Earth . Then another payload module will dock to Zeus, after which the station will fly towards Venus, perform a gravity maneuver and head towards the moons of Jupiter. The mission will be fully automatic.