Russia will stop operating on the International Space Station (ISS) “after 2024”, as confirmed on Tuesday Yuri Borisovin command of the Russian agency Roscosmos from mid-July. In a much more serious and reasonable tone than its predecessor, the controversial Dimitri Rogozinwell known for his bravado and excessive nationalism, Borisov has explained Russia’s departure from the orbital platform to create its own in 2025, a project announced before the invasion of Ukraine and that, after Western sanctions adopted for the war , has been reinforced.
“We will certainly fulfill all our obligations towards our partners”, from the ISS, Borisov pointed out, during a televised meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Then, in 2025, “I think we will start to create the Russian orbital station”, which will be “the main priority” of the national space program, he has said.
the ukrainian war
According to the head of Roscosmos, “the future of Russian manned 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.” At the same time, he has acknowledged that the space sector in his country, plagued for years by corruption and lack of innovation, “is in a difficult situation.” In this way, he has indicated that his “main task (…) is not to lower the bar, but to raise it, above all by providing the necessary space services for the Russian economy”, citing above all navigation, communication and transmission of data.
In 2020, Russia lost its monopoly on launching into space with its old but trusty Soyuz launchers and spacecraft following the arrival on the scene of SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk.
In addition, cooperation between Russia and Western countries in space matters has also been hampered by the offensive against Ukraine. The Western sanctions adopted for this cause partly affect the Russian aerospace industry and put the International Space Station at risk, since some supplies could be interrupted.
This is not Russia’s first disagreement with international space projects. In mid-2020, Rogozin himself publicly announced that Moscow was renouncing its participation in the US Artemis lunar program, which contemplates the return of human beings to the Moon in 2024, because it had become a “great political project”.