Putin is not responding to the global pressure in the slightest, and he seems to have no fear of any repercussions from the West.
Russia has announced that they will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024. And they will from this point on be building their own orbiting outpost, according to Russia’s new space chief.
This move just intensifies the tension between Moscow and America that continues to rise over the war in Ukraine.
This announcement was not unexpected and it throws the 24-year-old space state into a questionable future. Experts agree that it will be extremely difficult, one said a “nightmare” to keep the existing space station running without the Russians. NASA hope to have their input until 2030.
Yuri Borisov was appointed to lead the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, last month. He said, “The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made. I think that by that time we will start forming a Russian orbiting station.”
The space station is one of the few symbols of international teamwork that has existed since the Cold War ended. It remains one of the last global areas of cooperation between the U.S. and Moscow.
Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator, was waiting to hear directly from Russia. He issued a statement saying that his agency was “committed to the safe operation” of the space station through 2030 and continues “to build future capabilities to assure our major presence in low-Earth orbit.”
U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price said that Russia’s decision was “an unfortunate development” given the “valuable professional collaboration our space agencies have had over the years.”
And National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the United States will explore options for dealing with Russia’s decision to pull out.
The temperature between Russia and America feels like it did back in the Cold War.
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