The country may soon be launching its own space station.
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According to new reports, Russia could soon be leaving the aging International Space Station – to focus on launching and populating its own space station.
Senior Russian officials have not verified the reports, but Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov did announce that Russia may soon decide whether sending cosmonauts to the outpost might no longer be worth it, The Moscow Times reports.
“We need a technical inspection at the station to avoid risks in an emergency,” said Borisov TASS, as translated by The Moscow Times“We will make a decision based on the results and inform our partners fairly.”
Inspection
The ISS has now been continuously occupied for over 20 years and it is starting to show its age, with occasional leaks needing repair and cracked windows.
In December, Congress passed a NASA authorization bill that would extend the station’s lifespan from 2024 to 2030, despite its deteriorating condition.
Russian space station
The news comes as Russia is reportedly planning to launch its own space station, as an independent Russian news agency Interfax reported over the weekend – but details are still sparse, save for reports claiming the station could cost as much as $ 6 billion.
“We have agreed a 2024 deadline with our ISS partners,” read a press release from the Russian space agency Roscosmos, as quoted by Interfax“After this period, the decision will be made based on the technical condition of the station modules, which have in fact worked out their useful life, as well as our plans to deploy a new generation of national orbital service stations.”
Russia has also previously declined offers to join NASA’s plans to develop the Gateway, a small space station orbiting the moon. Instead, Russia chose to partner with China and signed an agreement to build an “International Scientific Moon Station” in orbit around the moon in March.
READ MORE: Russia to shut down the International Space Station in 2025 – Reports [The Moscow Times]
More on Russia’s space efforts: Russia is planning a moon landing later this year
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