According to a top space official, the exact timing depends on how the station is technically performing.
The date of Russia’s withdrawal from the International Space Station (ISS) depends on the technical state of the project and could come at any time after 2024, a high-ranking official of the Russian space agency said on Thursday.
“Regarding the statement about 2024… something may have been lost in translation. The statement on Russia’s leaving after 2024 means that there will be no abrupt moves until 2024. However, the statement on Russia’s withdrawal after 2024 means that 2025 will follow 2024 as well as 2028, 2030. Based on technical conditions, the specific withdrawal decision would be taken. [of the station],” Sergey Krikalev, the executive director for manned space programs at Russian space agency Roscosmos, told a press conference.
Yury Borisov (the new Roscosmos head) stated that Russia will withdraw from the station in 2024. He also said that Moscow plans to honor its obligations as part of the ISS Project. Although he noted that the exact timing would depend on a number of things, including “The ISS and its operation performance.” Russia’s decision to leave the station “It is not a secret.”
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Russia settles timeline for ISS withdrawal
Borisov who was named director general of Roscosmos on July 1st stated that Russia would begin putting together an orbital station as soon as it departs the ISS. The decision did not have anything to do geopolitics including the Ukraine conflict.
“As for the political aspects – I hate to disappoint you, but they simply are not there and I think they shouldn’t be,” he said, touting the ISS as a project that has enriched science and brought nations closer together.
Dmitry Rogozin was the former Roscosmos head. He predicted that NASA’s ISS would be operational until 2030. “fall apart” by that time unless “Huge sums of money” are invested in repairs.
Vladimir Solovyov (former Soviet cosmonaut, chief designer of Russian spacecraft maker RSC Energia), stated last year that Russia will begin construction on its space station in 2028. ROSS, Russian Orbital Service Station, will be the name of the project. It will be constructed on Science Power Module 1 that was designed originally for the ISS. However, it is being repurposed now, Solovyov stated at the time.
Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe jointly manage the International Space Station. The station was launched in 1998 and has been continuously inhabited since then. The station is used to conduct experiments in zero gravity, and test technology that could be applied for further explorations of deep space.
