For years the world had thought the Cold War was a thing of the past, never to be repeated.
Unfortunately, recent geopolitical tensions have dredged up old hostilities and contentions. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put the former heart of the Soviet empire at ever greater odds with Western and NATO powers.
While these tensions were not cited as the official reason Russia has decided to part ways with the International Space Station effort, it can be safely assumed that this is the core reason.
On Monday, the Kremlin announced that Russia would abandon its role in the ISS project after 2024, putting an end to over 20 years of international collaboration between Russia and the West in outer space.
The announcement came following a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Yury Borisov, the head of Russia’s Roscosmos State Space Corporation.
Borisov and Putin have indicated that ending the international collaboration will allow Russia to focus on its own dedicated space program.
This line of thinking is consonant with recent trends to weaponize space, the advent of the U.S. Space Force is a similar development in this vein.
It is still too early to forecast what will become of near-Earth space, but one thing is certain: a new space race is now upon us and will soon be in full swing.
Here’s what we currently know:
Russia will pull out of the International Space Station partnership and will instead build its own outpost, the country's space chief says https://t.co/8UEPIcBzth
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 26, 2022
Russia says it will withdraw from the ISS after 2024, casting new doubt over future global collaboration in space. https://t.co/bBuDcb5EsF
— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) July 26, 2022
Yury Borisov’s words appeared on Just The News:
“I think that by this time we will begin to form the Russian orbital station.
I believe that the future of Russian manned cosmonautics, first of all, should be based on a balanced and systematic scientific program, so that each flight enriches us with knowledge in the field of space,” he said.
#drcole Breaking:
Wondering why Russia says it will quit the international space station in 2024 to focus on its own outpost. Seems like Russia is isolating itself.— Dr. Cole #drcole (@1drcole) July 26, 2022
1/3 – Russia Is Leaving!!
Russia has announced that it will pull out of the International Space Station (ISS) partnership after 2024 and instead will build its own orbiting station. Currently, ISS has plans to operate until the end of this decade.— Firouz M. Naderi (@Firouz_Naderi) July 26, 2022
According to Al Jazeera:
Borisov’s remarks came after Roscosmos announced earlier this month that it had signed a landmark deal with US space agency NASA regarding integrated flights and crews on the ISS – a rare instance of cooperation between Moscow and Washington in recent years.
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