AVA - Russia to Drop Out of International Space Station After 2024

Russia will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA)_Monitoring, Yuri Borisov, appointed this month to lead the state space agency, Roscosmos, said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that Russia will fulfill its obligations to its partners before it leaves, NPR reported.

“The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made,” Borisov said, adding: “I think that by that time we will start forming a Russian orbiting station.”

NASA and other international partners hope to keep the space station running until 2030, while the Russians have been reluctant to make commitments beyond 2024.

The space station is jointly run by the space agencies of Russia, the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada. The first piece was put in orbit in 1998, and the outpost has been continuously inhabited for nearly 22 years. It is used to conduct scientific research in zero gravity and test out equipment for future space journeys.

It typically has a crew of seven, who spend months at a time aboard the station as it orbits Earth. Three Russians, three Americans and one Italian are now on board.