Home
Science
Science News
US Surprised Over Russia’s Plans to Exit ISS After 2024, Expresses Regret

US Surprised Over Russia’s Plans to Exit ISS After 2024, Expresses Regret

NASA also plans to retire the ISS after 2030 as it transitions to working with commercial space stations.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 27 July 2022 13:33 IST

US Surprised Over Russia’s Plans to Exit ISS After 2024, Expresses Regret

Russia announced that it would exit the International Space Station after 2024

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

NASA itself plans to retire the ISS
ISS is a symbol of post-Cold War unity
She wanted the US-Russia space relationship to end

The United States on Tuesday voiced regret over Russia's announcement that it would exit the International Space Station after 2024 and said it was taken by surprise.

"It's an unfortunate development given the critical scientific work performed at the ISS, the valuable professional collaboration our space agencies have had over the years, and especially in light of our renewed agreement on space-flight cooperation," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

"I understand that we were taken by surprise by the public statement," he told reporters.

NASA's director of the ISS, Robyn Gatens, earlier said that the US space agency had not "received any official word from the partner as to the news today."

NASA itself plans to retire the ISS - a symbol of post-Cold War unity - after 2030 as it transitions to working with commercial space stations, and Gatens suggested Russia might be thinking about its own transition.

Asked whether she wanted the US-Russia space relationship to end, she replied: "No, absolutely not."

"They have been good partners, as all of our partners are, and we want to continue together, as a partnership, to continue operating space station through the decade."

Gatens was responding to an announcement by newly appointed Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov.

"Of course, we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners, but the decision to leave this station after 2024 has been made," Borisov told Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I think that by this time we will start putting together a Russian orbital station," Borisov added, calling it the space program's main "priority."

"Good," Putin replied in comments released by the Kremlin.

Until now, space exploration was one of the few areas where cooperation between Russia and the United States and its allies had not been wrecked by tensions over Ukraine and elsewhere.

Why are they still making more Harry Potter? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.