As NASA continues to advocate for an extension beyond 2030, Roscosmos and NASA both reaffirmed their expectations for the International Space Station to remain in operation after 2024. Officials from the two agencies downplayed remarks made on July 26 by Yuri Borisov, the new head of Roscosmos, that were initially taken to mean that Russia would leave the partnership as early as 2024, at a briefing on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station on August 4.
At the time, NASA officials stated that they had not been informed of any planned exit, and Borisov later stated that Russia would only withdraw after 2024 at an undefined time.
Sergei Krikalev, executive director of human space flight programmes at Roscosmos, stated through an interpreter, “Perhaps something was missed in the translation.” “According to the statement, Russia won’t abandon the programme until after 2024. This indicates that there won’t be any changes until the end of 2024.
The Multilateral Control Board of ISS partners, which manages the station, held a meeting last week, according to Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator for space operations. She claimed that at the meeting, the part in a recent NASA authorisation bill that Congress enacted last week that explicitly approves a continuation of ISS operations through 2030 was discussed.
Implementing the agreement for integrated crews between NASA and Roscosmos, which was announced on July 15, is a part of that ongoing endeavour. On the Soyuz MS-22 mission, which will launch on September 21, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will travel, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina will travel on Crew-5. Even though the Crew-5 mission is officially planned to launch no earlier than Sept. 29, NASA officials predicted that the launch would likely be delayed a few days to give the Soyuz mission more separation.
