Russia to extend use of International Space Station, reversing 2024 exit plan
- Moscow had said it would leave next year amid tensions with the West over Ukraine, but will now continue operations until 2028
- The space sector has been a rare venue of cooperation between Russia and the US since the invasion began
Russia said on Wednesday it planned to use the International Space Station until 2028, an apparent reversal of an earlier announcement to quit the orbiting laboratory after 2024.
In July last year, Moscow said it was leaving the International Space Station “after 2024” as ties unravelled between the Kremlin and the West over Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, said Moscow’s participation in the international space project had been extended.
“By the decision of the government, the operation of the International Space Station has been extended until 2028,” Borisov told President Vladimir Putin during a televised meeting, referring to the Russian segment.
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He said the “time has come” to discuss the creation of a Russian orbital station.