Russia to Leave ISS

[ORAC]

Russia announce they will leave the ISS coalition in 2025. Good thing the USA now has at least one man-rated rocket (SpaceX) to provide resupply and crew changes with, hopefully, Boeing to follow.

I take their hope to launch their own by 2030 with a pinch of salt and as a begging bowl to Putin. Their space programme is moribund surviving on still using 60 year old technology and with little investment. New space stations are more likely to be Indian as well as that planned by the Chinese.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/apr/22/russia-well-leave-international-space-station-and-build-our-own

Russia: we’ll leave International Space Station and build our own

[wiggy]

There's one line of thought (I'm reading elsewhere) that with the US space effort being increasingly commercialised and also looking increasingly beyond Low Earth Orbit the ISS's days may be numbered as funding is diverted into more glamorous projects..question then is who gets left to foot the bill/make the effort to turn the lights out/de-orbit the thing safely.... :sad:

Whatever the Russians are up to they are constructing at least one new module, supposedly for the ISS but could it be repurposed for use as start of a standalone Russian only station (unlikely - funds) or a joint effort with the Chinese and/or others?

This weeks Roscosmos Video..Russian soundtrack..

The new module visible at about 5:40

[keith williams]

Better check all the door handles for novichok after the last on leaves. They have form!

[Tango and Cash]

I understand there is a "Russian side" and an "American side" to the space station, and a number of modules were designed and built by the Russians. From a systems/engineering perspective, can the ISS keep going if the Russians decide to shut the lights off and go home on their side? Or would the remaining partners have to take over the Russian side to keep the whole thing going? And if the Russians go home, who provides the technical support, spare parts, etc. for the Russian modules? Not sure I'd want to pick that project up!

And as Wiggy points out, with the US focus on commercial space, is there the interest/finances to do so by NASA, SpaceX, or anyone else?