Russia’s future orbital outpost to be protected from unauthorized access to control
Any risk of unauthorized start of software responsible for running Russia’s future orbital station will be ruled out. This issue will enjoy close scrutiny during the sketch design phase, as follows from the terms of reference available on the state procurement website.
“On-board cyber resources must rule out the risk of unauthorized launch of control programs. The possibility of issuing unauthorized commands to the executive devices and onboard systems must be prevented likewise,” the terms of reference say.
In April 2021, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said the condition of the ISS left much to be desired and for this reason Russia should focus on creating its own orbital outpost. The space rocket corporation Energia was tasked to deliver the first module of a future orbital station in 2025. The research and energy module that was originally meant for joining the ISS in 2024 will be used as its basis.
The science and research board of Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos issued recommendations to include creation of a technical project for a new orbital station in the 2025 Federal Space Program. At the end of February this year Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin said that going ahead with the ISS project and building a new orbital station at the same time would be problematic due to financial constraints. He suggested what he described as a “period of overlap”, when the ISS and the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) would be used simultaneously.
