Russia and U.S. Renew Commitment to the International Space Station Until 2028

The head of Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, announced on Thursday that he has reached an agreement with his counterpart at NASA to prolong the operation of the International Space Station (ISS) until 2028.

Earlier this week, Roscosmos revealed that its chief, Dmitry Bakanov, had traveled to Texas to meet with NASA’s acting administrator, Sean Duffy. This marks the first visit by a Russian space agency leader to the U.S. since 2018.

“The discussions were productive. We have agreed to keep the ISS operational until 2028, and we will also address plans for its decommissioning by 2030,” Bakanov was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency.

Bakanov is also expected to meet with the Crew-11 mission team, which includes Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, prior to their launch aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The ISS was launched in 1998 as a collaborative venture involving Russia, the United States, Europe, and Japan. While it was initially intended to operate until 2024, NASA has indicated that the station could potentially remain in use until 2030.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Western nations severed their space collaborations with Roscosmos as part of extensive sanctions against Moscow.

Once a source of national pride, Russia’s space program has faced significant challenges for years, including consistent underfunding and ongoing corruption issues.