Kelly said the design of the station would make it difficult but not impossible for the remaining nations to operate it if Russia were to withdraw.įormer NASA astronaut Terry Virts, who spent six months on the space station in 20, said a Russian pullout would be “a disaster” and send "a significant statement to the world that they are very undependable.”īut Virts also said that Putin “has crossed a line, and we need to disengage from them on the ISS." “Cooperation with the West also shows some amount of legitimacy to other, nonaligned nations and to their own people, which Putin needs, as the war in Ukraine has damaged his credibility.” “I believe Russia will stay as long as they can afford to, as without ISS they have no human spaceflight program," he said. It was not immediately clear what will have to be done to the Russian side of the complex to safely operate the space station once Moscow pulls out.įormer NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent 340 continuous days aboard the International Space Station in 20, said that the Russian statement “could be just more bluster,” noting that ”after 2024" is vague and open-ended. The $100 billion-plus complex is about as long as a football field and consists of two main sections, one run by Russia, the other by the U.S.
Three Russians, three Americans and one Italian are now on board. It typically has a crew of seven, who spend months at a time aboard the station as it orbits about 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Earth. It is used to conduct scientific research in zero gravity and test out technology for future journeys to the moon and Mars. The first piece was put in orbit in 1998, and the outpost has been continuously inhabited for nearly 22 years. The space station is jointly run by Russia, the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada. lifts its sanctions against Russian space industries.įormer Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted in reaction to Tuesday's announcement: “Remember that Russia’s best game is chess.” Borisov’s predecessor, Dmitry Rogozin, said last month that Moscow could take part in negotiations about a possible extension of the station’s operations only if the U.S. The Russian announcement is certain to stir speculation that it is part of Moscow’s maneuvering to win relief from Western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine. For years, NASA had been paying tens of millions of dollars per seat for rides aboard Russian Soyuz rockets. Russian officials have long talked about their desire to launch their own space station and have complained that the wear and tear on the aging International Space Station is compromising safety and could make it difficult to extend its lifespan.Ĭost may also be a factor: With Elon Musk’s SpaceX company now flying NASA astronauts to and from the space station, the Russian space agency lost a major source of income.
is “exploring options” for dealing with a Russian withdrawal.īorisov’s statement reaffirmed previous declarations by Russian space officials about Moscow’s intention to leave the space station after 2024 when the current international arrangements for its operation end.
#Outpost zero game pictures professional
State Department spokesman Ned Price called the announcement “an unfortunate development” given the “valuable professional collaboration our space agencies have had over the years.” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson issued a statement saying that the agency was “committed to the safe operation” of the space station through 2030 and continues "to build future capabilities to assure our major presence in low-Earth orbit.” NASA officials said they had yet to hear directly from their Russian counterparts on the matter.
The space station has long been a symbol of post-Cold War international teamwork in the name of science but is now one of the last areas of cooperation between the U.S. He added: “I think that by that time we will start forming a Russian orbiting station.” “The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made,” Yuri Borisov, appointed this month to lead the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
NASA and its partners had hoped to continue operating it until 2030. The announcement, while not unexpected, throws into question the future of the 24-year-old space station, with experts saying it would be extremely difficult - perhaps a “nightmare," by one reckoning - to keep it running without the Russians. MOSCOW-Russia will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost, the country's new space chief said Tuesday amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over the fighting in Ukraine.