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Russia is Pulling Out of the International Space Station
Russia has announced today that they plan to end their 28-year partnership with NASA, bringing a close to a decades-long collaboration between former enemies.
Newly appointed Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov told Russian President Vladimir Putin that “the decision to leave this station after 2024 has been made.”
“You know that we are working within the framework of international cooperation at the International Space Station. Undoubtedly, we will fulfil all our obligations to our partners, but the decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made,” Borisov told Putin in the Kremlin-issued readout.
In the late 20th Century, space was seen as an area of cooperation between rival nations — the last “neutral zone” where real science can happen — and be shared.
Today, however, space is seen as the new “high ground” as countries compete for the vast resources and national prestige that accompany a robust space program.
With Russian satellite-killing robots in orbit, China’s new national space station, and the creation of the U.S. Space Force, it seems clear that humans are destined to take our terrestrial squabbles off-planet.
It should come as no surprise then, that Russia wishes to end their joint operations with the United…
