Russia will end its participation in the International Space Station after reaching the end of its planned life in 2024, a senior official confirmed. Moscow is already working on a new station to replace the current one.
Moscow will do it “Announce [partnering countries] on its withdrawal from the ISS from 2025 “ Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told Rossiya-1 television on Sunday. He added that the country will hold consultations with other nations on future cooperation once the station ceases to operate.
The deputy prime minister’s office told TASS news agency that “Reports of malfunctions have become more frequent lately” and an ISS inspection is required to avoid possible emergencies.
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The astronauts tried to fix the air leaks, due to the cracks that appear in some modules. Vladimir Solovyev, deputy head of Energy, who led the development of the ISS on behalf of Russia, said in November that several elements of the station were damaged beyond replacement and will be closed after 2025. Energy is currently working at Russia Orbital Space Station which is set to replace the ISS.
The first element of the ISS was launched in 1998. The life of the station was finally extended until 2020 and later until 2024.
The head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said last year that after the ISS ceases to function, the cargo spacecraft will take it out of orbit. The ISS will then descend into the ocean, as in 2001 the Russian space station Mir.
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