Roscosmos: Russia’s participation in the ISS after 2028 will be determined by the condition of the station

The extension of Russia’s participation in the International Space Station (ISS) project after February 16, 2028 will depend on its technical condition. This was stated by Roscosmos Director General Yuri Borisov at a session of heads of space agencies at the International Astronautical Congress in Baku.

If the countries participating in the ISS project decide to complete it by that time, then through joint efforts the station will be correctly removed from orbit, the head of the state corporation added.

“Unfortunately, this wonderful project will someday end, the station will cease to exist, and I confirm that our colleagues and I will take all necessary efforts to correctly remove it from orbit,” explained Borisov (quote via Interfax).

Back in July 2022, Borisov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the planned withdrawal of Roscosmos from the ISS project and the development of a Russian orbital station (ROS). Its construction planned for 2027 – 2032 India is considering the possibility of building its own module on ROS, but the country has not yet made an exact decision.

Borisov previously stated that Russia should withdraw from the ISS project at the moment when the deployment of ROS begins. According to Interfax, the preliminary cost of building a new space station was estimated at 600 billion rubles. The exact amount will be announced after the completion of the preliminary design.