“The dialogue went well. We agreed to continue to exploit the ISS until 2028. […] And until 2030, we will work on its orbit outlet, “said Dmitri Bakanov, quoted by the state agency Tass. According to him, Roscosmos and NASA also planned to discuss their cooperation when the national orbital stations which will succeed the ISS will be deployed, as well as the manner of”exploit them and for a series of missions in distant space“. Space is one of the last areas of cooperation between Russia and the United States, which exploit the ISS together.
Russia had announced in April 2023 its intention to continue to use its segment of this orbital laboratory for a few years, where its cosmonauts are permanently, despite its obsolescence. Moscow aims to build its own orbital station, despite the difficulties of the Russian space sector, for years undermined by chronic under-funding, reverse and corruption scandals.
President Vladimir Putin estimated in October 2023 that the first segment of this new Russian space station was to be put in orbit in 2027. As part of the sanctions against Russia adopted since 2022, Western countries have ended their partnership with Roscosmos, but the Russian Soyuz vessels remain one of the only ways to send crews and Moscow Key in its maintenance in orbit.
