The International Space Station has its name for a reason. The orbiting laboratory has hosted astronauts from around the world during its years of operation. As the new hardware was installed on the spacecraft, its capabilities increased and a lot of science was done there. Over the years, the two main partners that keep the space station in operation are the United States (NASA) and Russia (Roscosmos). Now, one of those partners is weighing the tough decision to give up. Tip: It’s not NASA.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, Russian officials have decided that it is time for the country to decide to withdraw the International Space Station. The decision will be taken after a technical inspection and an inspection of the spacecraft itself, a decrease in the number and an assessment of the risks. Simply put, Russia no longer believes that the space station is suitable for long-term research efforts, and as of 2025, it may no longer feel comfortable sending its scientists there.
It seems that there is at least some information that is lost in translation from the original Russian reports and from what is reported on some news sites. Some outlets say Russia has already decided to leave the station, while others cite Russian officials as saying they are still weighing the decision. Whatever the situation, it is clear that Russia is no longer “all in” on the ISS and accuses this feeling of the technical condition of the spacecraft.
Russia has conducted risk assessments for the spacecraft in the recent past, and some of the country’s top specialists have predicted the “failure of many elements aboard the ISS” after 2025. The country has already agreed to cooperate with NASA and its other partners. on the ISS project until at least 2024, when it can decide that it is enough.
A statement from Roscosmos does not offer much assurance in any way:
“We have 2024 as the time limit agreed with our partners regarding the ISS activity. After that, decisions will be made based on the technical condition of the station’s modules, which have largely exhausted their lifespan, as well as our plans to implement a new generation orbital national service station. ”
It would be interesting to see what NASA would do if their main ISS partner decided to abandon the program in 2025. The spacecraft spent more than two decades in space, gradually growing as NASA and Russia expanded it, adding more equipment. scientific and tested various modules for use. Many new discoveries have been made in its time in space, but no one would argue that it is the most modern machine orbiting the Earth. Leaks have occurred repeatedly, especially on the Russian side of the spacecraft. Eventually, it will have to be completely replaced, but no one really knows when that will happen. For now, it is another choice for scientists who have to work in microgravity.
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Check out the original version of this article on BGR.com