Russia to quit International Space Station 'after 2024'

Tags: International News

Russia has decided to leave the International Space Centre after 2024.

Important facts

• The decision was announced by Yuri Bori Sof, the newly appointed President of Russia's space agency Roscosmos.

• The decision comes at a time when the Kremlin's war with Ukraine has isolated Russia both commercially and economically.

• Russia will focus on building its own space station after 2024.

• Russia will fulfill its obligations to other partners in the International Space Station before leaving the project.

Why does Russia want to leave the International Space Station?

• Russia focuses on building its own space outpost.

• Russian cosmonauts were criticized for using the space station to flag Russian occupation of Ukraine's territory.

• NASA strongly condemned Russia's political use of the ISS.

• The US alleges that Russia has used the station for support in the Ukraine war while the station's original purpose is to use it for scientific and technological development in a peaceful manner.

• Space relations between Russia and the US began to deteriorate even before the Russia-Ukraine war, when NASA announced its Artemis Agreement.

• Russia had disagreed with this agreement and it was clear that Russia and America would not be able to cooperate in space matters for long.

About International Space Station (ISS) 

• The ISS was commissioned in the year 1998 and has been operating at its full capacity since 2011.

• The first astronauts were sent to this space station in the year 2000.

• The ISS is being operated by 16 countries led by the NASA space agency of America.

• These countries include America, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Canada and 11 countries in Europe.

• The ISS is the most complex international scientific and engineering project in history and the largest manned spaceflight structure.

• The space station flies at an average altitude of 400 kilometres from Earth, orbiting the globe every 90 minutes at a speed of about 28,000 kilometres per hour.

• The space station appears as a bright moving light in the night sky, similar to the bright planet Venus.

ISS program joint project of five space agencies

1. NASA (United States)

2. Roscosmos (Russia)

3. JAXA (Japan)

4. ESA (Europe)

5.  CSA (Canada)