The Russian Orbital Station (ROS) must initially operate without human intervention, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

"The Russian Orbital Station must be as automated as possible to operate without human intervention. Because the next time we deploy this infrastructure to the Moon, we cannot risk human lives. Either some kind of robot must operate there, or it must be self-service. And when it is capable of operating in an autonomous mode, at the next stage, when all the technologies have been tested and human life is no longer in danger, we will gradually begin populating it with people," the head of the state space corporation said during Space Week 2026.

According to him, the first ROS module will be deployed in 2028, and the deorbiting of the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to be completed in 2030. Bakanov also emphasized the importance of synchronizing the completion of work on the ISS and the deployment of the ROS.

In December 2025, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov announced that Russia had approved a 51.6-degree orbital inclination for the Russian Orbital Station — matching the orbit of the International Space Station. In February, Manturov stated that the ROS would become a key platform for deep space exploration.