RUSSIA could pull out of the ISS within 12 months throwing future space missions into disarray.
After weeks of threats, Putin‘s space chief said the country will pull out of the space station for good.
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Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin blamed the move on mounting sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
He pledged to give US counterparts Nasa a year’s notice.
It’s unclear how partners will be able to continue without Russia’s involvement.
Nasa has long relied on Roscosmos to blast its astronauts into space, though it will soon shift towards Elon Musk’s SpaceX for that.
Russia also looks after engines that control the station’s orbit and location.
“The decision has been taken already, we’re not obliged to talk about it publicly,” he told Russian media.
“I can say this only — in accordance with our obligations, we’ll inform our partners about the end of our work on the ISS with a year’s notice.”
The war in Ukraine has shattered space relations between Russia and the west – a rare area that has historically persevered above conflicts.
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With tensions at an all time high, Europe has been forced to halt its first mission to Mars, which was supposed to launch in collaboration with Roscosmos later this year.
Early in the conflict, Russia warned that it could drop the ISS onto the US or Europe if sanctions continued.
Nasa wants to continue using the ISS until 2030.
The American space agency has been exploring ways it could continue operating the station if Russia do pull out, though it could be time consuming and costly.
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