6 Jun 2022 19:44

Cosmonauts to be able to stay in polar orbit for up to 11 months - RAS institute

MOSCOW. June 6 (Interfax) - Research has showed that cosmonauts will be able to stay in the new space station with a polar orbit for up to 11 months, despite an increased radiation threat, head of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Institute of Biomedical Problems Oleg Orlov said.

"If a flight on a high-altitude orbit is about ten or 11 months long, in the general parameters of radiation risks, we're not exceeding the standards currently established by methodical recommendations," Orlov said at a joint meeting of the bureau of the RAS Council for Space and the Presidium of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Roscosmos state corporation.

"It can be said at present that crewed flights to a high-altitude orbit are possible and their safety can be ensured," he said.

Three options for the creation of a new orbital station are currently under consideration: in an orbit with an inclination of 51.6 degree based on the Russian modules of the International Space Station (ISS), in the same orbit using modules, or in the polar module with an inclination of 96.8 degrees, Orlov said.

As reported, Russia is exploring the possibility of building a new national space station as a replacement for the ISS. Presumably, the station will be deployed in a high-altitude orbit with an inclination of 97-98 degrees, where radiation levels are high. Therefore, cosmonauts will be visiting the station instead of permanently inhabiting it.