Russia Expects Independent Orbital Station by Early 2030s, Cosmonaut Chief Says

Russia expects to have its own independent orbital space station operating by the early 2030s, according to Oleg Kononenko, commander of the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps and Head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Kononenko made the remarks at the International Festival of Youth 2026 in Ekaterinburg, answering a question from a participant from Turkmenistan about future joint scientific and educational programmes.

"I think we are not far from the moment when, in the early 2030s, Russia will have its own independent orbital station, and I expect that will open up major opportunities for cosmonauts from the former Soviet republics to fly," Kononenko said. He added that Roscosmos remains open to cooperation of any kind.

Kononenko said a lunar programme would come before any further planetary exploration. He said Russia would first learn to choose a landing site, build shelter and protection, and master arrival, landing and take-off on the Moon before attempting flights to Mars, adding that he does not doubt humanity will eventually become a multiplanetary civilization.

He pointed to the International Space Station as a model for resolving disputes peacefully, noting that while countries compete for technical dominance on Earth, ISS crew members depend on one another and resolve issues by mutual agreement.

On his own path to becoming a cosmonaut, Kononenko said aspiring candidates must pass selection before the age of 35, and named fortitude, patience and a genuine drive to learn as the qualities most valued in the profession. He named witnessing an active volcano smoking beneath him during a spacewalk with fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Chub as his most vivid memory in orbit, identifying the peak as Kamchatka's Bezymianny volcano.