(presidentialwire.com)- Despite the war in Ukraine, Russia has continued to move forward with its plans for the Russian Orbital Space Station (ROSS) while also signaling that it would no longer participate in the International Space Station after 2024.
For several months now, Russian space industry chief Dmitry Rogozin has been warning that Russia would end its cooperation with NASA and cease any involvement in the International Space Station project.
In April, Rogozin said the final decision on whether to pull out of the ISS had already been made and the US and the other ISS participating countries would be informed of that decision with a year’s notice.
And this intent for Russia to end its years-long cooperation with NASA hasn’t changed.
During a recent NASA teleconference on the SpaceX Crew-5 mission, a Russian official confirmed the country’s plans to sever ties with the ISS to pursue ROSS.
But the official added that since the transition to a Russian space station would not happen quickly, Russia will “probably continue to fly until new infrastructure is available.”
It isn’t believed that Russia’s decision to end its participation in the International Space Station is out of any hostility or bad blood. Instead, the decision is based on its interest in building a sustainable space program for future endeavors.
Last week, the Washington Post reported that another scheduled SpaceX launch to the International Space Station will include a Russian cosmonaut.
The work on the Russian Orbital Space Station is not expected to be completed until 2028 at the earliest.
But according to NASA, Russia’s decision to eventually end its involvement in the International Space State could damage the country’s future trade endeavors.
In July, India’s NDTV reported that Russia’s plan to leave the International Space Station after 2024 could hurt the future viability of the program.
