Russian-Western Cooperation in the Spatial field has been undermined since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. By leaving the ISS, Russia intends to devote itself to the creation of its own space station.
Le Monde with AFP
This is one more cross step. Russia will stop operating the International Space Station (ISS) “after 2024,” the boss of the Russian space agency (Roscosmos), Iouri Borissov, announced on Tuesday July 26, which posted the space ambitions of its country.
“We will undoubtedly fulfill all our obligations towards our partners” of the ISS, he specified during a television meeting with the Russian president Vladimir Putin. “But the decision to leave this station after 2024 was made,” he said.
“I think that by then, we will start to create the Russian orbital station”, which will be “the main priority” of the national space program, said Borissov, adding: “The future of Russian inhabited flights must be based above all on a systemic and balanced scientific program so that each flight enriches us with knowledge in the space field. “
cooperation undermined by the war in Ukraine
Named at the head of Roscosmos in mid-July, Iouri Borissov replaced Dmitri Rogozine, known for his abrasive style and outrageous nationalism. Until this appointment, Mr. Borissov, 65, was Vice-Prime Minister in charge of the Russian military-industrial complex, which includes the space domain.
“It is a great honor for me, but also additional obligations,” said Borissov before the Russian head of state on Tuesday. “The space domain is in a difficult situation, and I think my main task (…) is not to drop the bar, but to place it higher, by providing above all the space services necessary for the Russian economy” , he underlined.
In 2020, Russia had lost the monopoly of shipments in space, with its aging but reliable soylash launchers and vessels, faced with the arrival on stage of the SpaceX vessel of the billionaire Elon Musk.
Russian-Western cooperation in the space has also been undermined since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Western sanctions taken against Russia due to this war partly affect the Russian aerospace industry and risk having effects on the ISS, some of which could be disrupted.