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A30 world news
Diaranson 27 Juli 2022

Russia to drop out of International Space Station after 2024

With Elon Musk's SpaceX U.S. and the other countries. cargo and crew members are
company now flying NASA It was not immediately clear used to help align the station
astronauts to and from the what will have to be done to and raise its orbit.
space station, the Russian the Russian side of the com-
Space Agency lost a major plex to continue safely oper- Scott Pace, director of George
source of income. For years, ating the space station once Washington University's
NASA had been paying tens Moscow pulls out. space policy institute, said
of millions of dollars per seat other considerations include
for rides to and from the sta- Former NASA astronaut replacing the ground com-
tion aboard Russian Soyuz Scott Kelly, who spent 340 munications that Moscow
rockets. continuous days aboard the provides and disposing of the
The Russian announcement International Space Station Russian property attached to
is certain to stir speculation in 2015 and 2016, said that the station.
that it is part of Moscow's the Russian statement "could He said, too, that "it remains
maneuvering to win relief be just more bluster," noting to be seen whether the Rus-
from Western sanctions over that "after 2024" is vague and sians will, in fact, be able to
the conflict in Ukraine. Bor- open-ended. launch and maintain their
(AP) — Russia will pull War international teamwork isov's predecessor, Dmitry Kelly said the design of the own. independent station."
out of the International in the name of science but Rogozin, said last month that station makes it difficult but
Space Station after 2024 is now one of the last areas Moscow could take part in not impossible for the re- Russia has made no visible
and focus on building its of cooperation between the negotiations about a possible maining nations to operate it effort so far to develop its
own orbiting outpost, the U.S. and the Kremlin. extension of the station's op- if Russia were to withdraw. own space station, and the
country's new space chief "The decision to leave the erations only if the U.S. lifts task appears increasingly
said Tuesday amid high station after 2024 has been its sanctions against Russian Jordan Bimm, a historian daunting now amid the crisis
tensions between Mos- made," Borisov said, adding: space industries. of science, technology and in Ukraine and the Western
cow and the West over the "I think that by that time we medicine at the University sanctions that have limited
fighting in Ukraine. will start forming a Russian The space station is jointly of Chicago, said the Russian Russia's access to Western
orbiting station." run by Russia, the U.S., Eu- statement "does not bode technology.
The announcement, while rope, Japan and Canada. The well for the future of the
not unexpected, throws into NASA had no immediate first piece was put in orbit ISS," adding that "it creates Well before the development
question the future of the comment. in 1998, and the outpost has a constellation of uncertain- of the International Space
24-year-old space station, been continuously inhabited ties about maintaining the Station, the Soviets — and
with experts saying it would Borisov's statement reaf- for nearly 22 years. It is used station which don't have easy then the Russians — had a
be extremely difficult — a firmed previous declarations to conduct scientific research answers." number of their own space
"nightmare," by one reck- by Russian space officials in zero gravity and test out Bimm said that theoretically stations, including Mir. The
oning — to keep it running about Moscow's intention to technology for future jour- it is possible to keep the sta- U.S. likewise had its own
without the Russians. NASA leave the space station after neys to the moon and Mars. tion running after the Rus- floating space laboratory,
and its partners had hoped to 2024 when the current inter- It typically has a crew of sev- sians bail out, but "practically Skylab.
continue operating it until national arrangements for its en, who spend months at a it could be a nightmare de-
2030. operation end. time aboard the station as it pending on how hard Russia John Logsdon, founder
Russian space officials have orbits about 260 miles (420 wanted to make it for NASA and former director of the
Yuri Borisov, appointed this long talked about their desire kilometers) above Earth. and its remaining partners." George Washington Univer-
month to lead the state space to launch the country's own Three Russians, three Amer- sity institute, said NASA has
agency, Roscosmos, said dur- space station and have com- icans and one Italian are now If the Russian components of had plenty of time to prepare
ing a meeting with President plained that the wear and tear on board. the station were detached or for a Russian withdrawal,
Vladimir Putin that Russia on the aging International inoperable, the most imme- given the threats coming out
will fulfill its obligations to Space Station is compromis- The $100 billion-plus com- diate problem would be how of Moscow, and would be
its partners before it quits the ing safety and could make it plex, which is about as long to boost the complex peri- derelict in its duty it hadn't
project. difficult to extend its lifespan. as a football field, consists of odically to maintain its orbit, been thinking about this for
The space station has long two main sections, one run he said. Russian spacecraft several years.
been a symbol of post-Cold Cost may also be a factor: by Russia, the other by the that arrive at the station with

UK's Boris Johnson defends meeting ex-KGB agent at party

businessman and Cold lish city of Salisbury. A police Party, said Johnson's "mealy-
War-era was a KGB officer officer and two local people mouthed statement raises Since Russia's invasion of Opposition politicians and
who has been sanctioned were also sickened, one of more questions than it an- Ukraine in February, John- anti-corruption campaigners
by Canada for his alleged whom, Dawn Sturgess, died. swers." son's government has sanc- say Johnson's Conservatives
role in enabling Russia's She said Johnson "apparently tioned hundreds of wealthy have allowed ill-gotten mon-
invasion of Ukraine. Britain blames Russia's GRU still cannot recall whether he Russians and moved to clamp ey to slosh into U.K. proper-
security service for the Salis- discussed government busi- down on money laundering ties, banks and businesses for
In April 2018, Johnson went bury attack, a charge Moscow ness or not. This letter sug- through London's property years, turning London into a
to a party at Evgeny Lebedev's denies. gests the Prime Minister has and financial markets. "laundromat" for dirty cash.
Italian mansion that was also something to hide."
attended by Alexander Leb- Johnson told a commit-
edev. Johnson, who was Brit- tee of senior lawmakers that Evgeny Lebedev owns Brit-
ish foreign secretary at the his meeting with Alexander ain's Evening Standard and
time, was not accompanied Lebedev "was not a formal Independent newspapers. In
by any officials. meeting, nor something that 2020 was given a noble title
was pre-arranged." He said it – Lord Lebedev of Siberia
The event was held as John- was normal for Britain's top -- and a seat in Parliament's
son returned from a NATO diplomat to attend a "private, House of Lords by Johnson's
meeting, and weeks after for- social occasion" without offi- government. British media
mer Russian spy Sergei Skri- cials or security staff. have reported that U.K. in-
pal, and his daughter Yulia telligence agencies had ex-
were poisoned with the nerve Angela Rayner, deputy lead- pressed concerns about the
agent Novichok in the Eng- er of the opposition Labour appointment.