Positive signals

Russia open to continued operation of the ISS until 2030

(Bild: NASA)

Russia is open to continuing to operate the International Space Station (ISS) until 2030. The USA had already announced a corresponding extension two weeks ago. "This allows us to prepare a decision by the Russian government to extend the ISS mission," said the head of the space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, on Thursday.

He did not initially say when Moscow would make a decision. Last spring, Rogozin had threatened that Russia would pull out from 2025. The current agreement between the international partners expires in 2024. 

An extension has been under discussion for a long time. Russia had justified a possible withdrawal from the project with reference to US sanctions against its own space companies, but recently signaled its interest in continuing operations.

ISS construction began back in 1998
The gradual construction of the ISS, which flies around 400 kilometers above the earth, began in 1998. Last year, there were increasingly critical voices in Russia, who doubted that the safety of the astronauts could be guaranteed until 2030 in view of the many technical faults in the ISS. There are currently seven astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS.