Russia to leave ISS and launch its own space station

  • Russia announced that it would be withdrawing from the International Space Station in 2025. 
  • It will build and manage its own floating laboratory that will be launched into orbit by 2030. 
  • The decision to leave also comes at a time when relations between Russia and the US have been steadily deteriorating on multiple fronts, with the two powers also accusing each other of militarizing space. 
SPACE STATION
  • A space station is a large spacecraft that remains in low-earth orbit for extended periods of time. 
  • It is like a large laboratory in space, and allows astronauts to come aboard and stay for weeks or months to carry out experiments in microgravity. 
  • The Mir space station of the former Soviet Union, and later operated by Russia, was functional from 1986 to 2001
ISS
  • The ISS has been in space since 1998.
  • It is known for the exemplary cooperation between the five participating space agencies that have been running it: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).
  • As per NASA, 243 people from 19 countries have so far visited the ISS.
  • The floating laboratory has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas. 
RUSSIA'S PLANS
  • Russia now plans to build and manage its own space station, which it aims to launch into orbit by 2030.
  • According to an Interfax report, its space module is being assembled by the Energia corporation, and is set to cost at least $5 billion.
  • The station will reportedly orbit the Earth at a higher latitude, enabling it to better observe the polar regions, especially since Russia plans to develop the Arctic sea route as the ice melts.

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