Russia ‘really’ now ‘stops’ using the ISS, but is it willing and able to do so?

Russia says it has decided to shut down the International Space Station after 2024. There have been rumors about this for some time, but the new boss of space agency Roscosmos now confirms it. However, it is questionable whether the country really can and will stop with the program.

Russia has long been bluffing that it wants to end the ISS program. Russia is, along with America, the largest partner in the ISS. Europe and Canada are also participating in the program. Experts didn’t take the bluffs seriously for a long time, but there are reasons to believe that the situation is different this time. Then comes the question of whether Russia can, will and will have a future without the ISS: it is currently the raison d’être of the Russian program.