Last month, Russia announced that both Russia and the United States have developed a plan to phase out the operation of the International Space Station by 2030. According to a report by Russian news agency RNS on August 5, a representative from the Russian National Aerospace Group revealed that Russia and the United States will carry out a joint initiative to gradually lower the orbital altitude of the International Space Station.
The representative said, ‘According to the plan, the operation to lower the orbit of the International Space Station will begin in 2028, and the process of lowering the orbit will last for about two years.’ He noted that Russia will deploy two Progress cargo ships, while the United States will use a specially designed spacecraft to control the attitude of the International Space Station.
It is expected that the Russian National Aerospace Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will reach an agreement to determine the responsibilities during this joint operation.
International Space Station, NASA
The International Space Station was constructed in 1998, with the leadership of the United States and Russia. Its initial design lifespan was 15 years, which was later extended several times. On July 14th this year, the secretariat of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Manturov announced that after a visit by NASA Administrator Isaacman, Russia and the United States had developed a joint plan to end the operation of the International Space Station by the end of 2030.
