Russia is considering continuing cooperation on the International Space Station (ISS) until 2028, despite tensions with the West over the Ukraine war.
“We consider it possible to continue using the ISS in a minimal configuration until a Russian space station is built, that is, until 2028,” Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Denis Manturov said on Sunday, according to the Interfax news agency. There had previously been threats from Moscow to end the space cooperation after the current contract expired in 2024.
Manturov justified the new elimination date by saying that Russia could thus ensure the continuity of its own manned space program. This is the only way the know-how in the technical and industrial area, but also the image and independence of Russia as a space nation can be secured, said the Industry Minister. Industry circles previously said that the first parts for a space station could be sent into space in 2028.
At the beginning of October, the head of the program for manned space flight in Russia, ex-cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, said he hoped that the Russian government would extend the current agreement on the joint use of the ISS. However, the head of the space agency, Yuri Borissov, had previously announced that the cooperation would end after 2024. However, he did not give an exact date at the time.
