Space agency announcement: Russia withdraws from ISS program

Russia wants to leave the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024. This was announced by Borisov, the new head of the space agency. Cooperation with the United States has been repeatedly called into question during the war in Ukraine.

Russia plans to leave the International Space Station after 2024. The new head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, said in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Tensions between Moscow and Washington

“Of course we will fulfill all obligations to our partners, but it has been decided to leave this station after 2024,” Borisov said. Borisov, a former deputy prime minister, has been head of the Russian space agency since mid-July, succeeding the agency’s chief, Dmitry Rogozhin.

Rogozin has repeatedly questioned cooperation with the United States, given the political tensions between Moscow and Washington in the wake of the war in Ukraine. After the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the West imposed a series of economic sanctions on Russia. However, cooperation on the ISS continued.

A Russian space station is planned

Borisov said that before leaving, the construction of the Russian space station should begin. The ISS has recently become old and has caused repeated upheavals due to breakdowns. Rogozin previously did not rule out detaching the Russian module from the ISS and continuing to operate it independently. He also pointed to the possibility of using a military Earth observation station.

Western countries have also imposed sanctions on the Russian space industry after a war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin leader Putin.

The ISS is a joint project of the United States, Canada, Japan, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Russia. It is divided into a Russian and an American section.