Russia's Plan To Spin Off a New Space Station From the ISS

The potential breakup of an international alliance is now brewing, and no, we're not talking about Brexit. This one is happening above our heads. Russia's main contractor in human space flight just detailed its plans to separate the newest modules from the International Space Station (ISS) once the long-lived project comes to an end in the 2020s. It plans to build a new habitable base in Earth orbit called the Russian Orbital Station, or ROS. The outpost will include three modules initially, possibly joined by two more in the future. Russian plans to split the ISS have been circulating for years. Now, for a host of political, financial, and technical reasons, this isn't just a wild idea on paper anymore. More

(Source: Popular Mechanics - Jun 28)