Russian space agency and NASA agree to operate ISS until 2028

This is one of the latest areas of cooperation between Russia and the United States. The Russian space agency Roscosmos and NASA have agreed to continue jointly operating the International Space Station (ISS) until 2028, the Russian director announced on Thursday, July 31, after the first face-to-face meeting with his American counterpart since 2018.

"The dialogue went well. We agreed to continue operating the ISS until 2028. (...) And until 2030, we will work on taking it out of orbit," Dmitry Bakanov said, quoted by the state news agency TASS.

According to him, Roscosmos and NASA also plan to discuss cooperation when the national orbital stations that will succeed the ISS are deployed, as well as how to "exploit them, and for a series of deep space missions." Bakanov arrived in Houston, USA, on Tuesday for talks with NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy, despite serious tensions due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia announced in April 2023 its intention to continue using its segment of this orbital laboratory, where its cosmonauts are permanently located, for a few more years, despite its dilapidated condition.

Moscow aims to build its own orbital station, despite the difficulties of the Russian space sector, which has been plagued for years by chronic underfunding, setbacks, and corruption scandals. President Vladimir Putin estimated in October 2023 that the first segment of this new Russian space station should be launched into orbit in 2027.

As part of the sanctions against Russia adopted since 2022, Western countries have ended their partnership with Roscosmos, but Russian Soyuz spacecraft remain one of the only means of transporting crews to the ISS, and Moscow plays a key role in keeping it in orbit.

A model of international cooperation bringing together Europe, Japan, the United States, and Russia, the ISS began assembly in 1998. Its retirement was scheduled for 2024, but NASA estimated that it could operate until 2030.