Russia has announced that it will abandon the International Space Station and build its own

“I think this time we will begin to integrate the Russian orbital station,” Borisov said, adding that the new station is his agency’s top priority.

“Good,” Putin replied.

In his meeting with the president, Borisov pointed out that the new station will provide Russia with space services necessary for modern life, for example, navigation and data transmission.

The decision for the future of the ISS was not immediately clear.And a senior NASA official said Reuters The US agency was not officially informed of Russia’s plans.

Cooperation on the station between Russia and the United States appeared relatively unscathed even after the war in Ukraine, with the two countries signing an agreement earlier this month to allow Russian astronauts to travel to the station on American spacecraft.

However, bilateral relations between the two countries have soured since Russia invaded Ukraine, with the Kremlin previously threatening to abandon the project due to Western sanctions.

The ISS, a joint project involving five space agencies, has been orbiting Earth for more than two decades and has been used to conduct thousands of scientific experiments.

It has been approved to operate till 2024But the US wants to extend the program for another six years with the agreement of all allies.

The war has also affected other areas of cooperation between Russia and the West. The European Space Agency (ESA) has ended its collaboration with Roskosmos to launch a robot to Mars, and Russia has stopped launching its Soyuz spacecraft from the ESA launch site in French Guiana.

The Soviet Union and Russia have a long history of space exploration, and achievements such as sending the first man into space in 1961 are a source of national pride.

Analysis by BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos

The Russians have been making noises about withdrawing from the ISS for some time, but it’s unclear how serious that decision really is.

They have talked about building their own outpost, the Russian Orbital Service Station, but that would require a financial commitment that the Russian government has not shown to the country’s current space explorations.

Of course, the Russian laboratories on the ISS are getting old, but the engineers’ opinion is that the modules will be able to work until 2030.

If Russia leaves, it will no doubt be problematic. The station is designed so that stakeholders are interdependent.

US side powers ISS; The Russian side provides propulsion and prevents the platform from falling to Earth.

If that propulsion capability is withdrawn, the U.S. and its other allies — Europe, Japan and Canada — will need to develop other ways to periodically lift the station into the sky, something American robotic cargo ships can do.

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