Russia’s national space agency Roscosmos unveiled a model of its planned space station today at a military-industrial exhibition outside Moscow called “Army-2022”. Russian state media called it “ROSS”. Yuri Borisov, who was appointed by President Vladimir Putin to head Roscosmos last month, said Russia will leave the ISS after 2024 and is working to develop its own orbital station.
Launched in 1998, the ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2000 as part of a United States-Russia partnership that also includes Canada, Japan and 11 other European countries.
NASA, which would like to keep the ISS operating until 2030, says it has yet to receive official confirmation of Russia’s withdrawal and understands that Moscow will continue to participate in the operation of the space station until 2028.
Roscosmos announced in a statement that the new Russian space station will be launched in two stages, without specifying exact dates.