Yuri Borisov, who replaced Dmitry Rogozin as head of Roscosmos, announced Russia's withdrawal from the International Space Station (ISS) project.
That should happen after 2024.
The head of Roscosmos said this at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It follows from his words that the decision to leave MSS has been made.
"Of course we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners [at MSS], but the decision and withdrawal from this station after 2024 has been made," said Borisov.
He called the creation of the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) the main priority of Roscosmos.
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Damages to MSS
This is not the first time that Borisov has spoken about it, but the final decision on the MSS has not been announced before.
As the Deputy Prime Minister in April of this year, Borisov said that Russia intends to withdraw from participation in the MSS project by 2025.
Roscosmos then hinted that it could happen after 2024.
On July 15 of this year, Borisov succeeded Rogozin as head of the space corporation.
In November 2020, the rocket and space corporation Energija spoke about the need to leave the MSS.
The first deputy general director of the corporation, Vladimir Solovyov, then stated that after 2025, the rapid failure of many elements at the station will begin.
"Russia has obligations to participate in the MSS program until 2025. There are already a number of elements that are seriously damaged and out of use. Many of them cannot be replaced.
"After 2025, we predict an avalanche of failures of many elements on the MSS," Solovyov said.
He added that it is necessary to review the conditions of the Russian side's participation in this program.
The press service of Roscosmos announced at the time that Solovyov's statement "was of an informative nature" and that "it was not a proposal to stop participation in the work of the MSS".
"The survival of the MSS depends on both technical and political issues," the organization said.
During the winter, the US NASA announced that it plans to extend the life of the station until 2030 to ensure the transition from using the MSS to the work of its astronauts on established commercial stations.
Representatives of the American organization noted that for the continuation of work, it would be necessary to allocate large funds for the maintenance of the station's components.
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Cooperation despite the war
Due to the aggravation of the political situation related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, cooperation on the MSS has been reduced, but has not completely stopped.
On the day that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decree on the resignation of Rogozin and the appointment of Borisov, Roscosmos and NASA signed an agreement on joint flights of Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts on the International Space Station.
However, a few days earlier the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that it would not continue cooperation with Roskosmos on the joint EkoMars mission.
Resumption of cooperation on the MSS is possible only after the lifting of sanctions against Roscosmos and Russia, Rogozin said in April.
In June, he spoke again on this topic and said that the continuation of negotiations on extending the operation of the MSS after 2024 is possible only if the US sanctions on the Russian space industry are lifted.
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