Russia plans to depart from the International Space Station after 2024 while honoring its commitments to partners, according to Yury Borisov, the Roscosmos Managing Director. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the withdrawal decision had been made long ago and was not made in a rush.
Earlier this year Roscosmos and RSC Energia signed a contract to draft the Russian orbital station on a 2.69 billion ruble budget, focusing on the project titled Creation of the space complex of the Russian orbital station. The plan called for completion of the draft by March 31, 2024.
official farewell
Borisov stated that Roscosmos would meet all obligations to partners but confirmed that the decision to leave the ISS would take effect after 2024, in a briefing to President Vladimir Putin. He added that work would begin on building a separate Russian orbital facility.
The Kremlin press office noted that the withdrawal decision was determined earlier than July 26 and was not made in coordination with the president. When asked if the 2024 withdrawal had been agreed with Putin, Peskov answered that the decision had been set in motion well before.
The United States anticipated continued collaboration on the ISS through at least 2030, though Russia has repeatedly raised concerns about sustaining cooperation under sanctions.
national station project
The idea of a National Orbital Station emerged in 2014 amid geopolitical tensions and discussions about Russia potentially leaving the ISS after 2020. The publication Kommersant reported discussions about a high-latitude Russian station, framing it as a central element of manned space development through 2050. In 2015 there were notes about possible Chinese involvement in the project.
By 2020, Vladimir Solovyov, then General Designer at RSC Energia, highlighted damage to several ISS elements and argued for a Russian station as a replacement. He warned that many components could fail in the years after 2025 if issues were not addressed. A Space Council meeting later reinforced the preference for ongoing development of the new station.
Solovyov presented an outline for the ROSS—Russian Orbital Service Station—envisioned as a modular system with three to seven segments and a crew of two to four. It would be capable of offline operation to lower operating costs, with deployment anticipated after 2024 but without a fixed schedule. The design drew inspiration from the Mir station, planned to include modules such as a basic module, a production module, a maintenance platform, a service module, and a commercial module for up to four tourists with ample communications.
In early 2021, remarks from Dmitry Rogozin suggested a visit to the future station could reduce operating expenses by enabling assembly, refueling, and repair tasks on site. In mid-2021, the Science and Energy Module intended for ISS use was proposed as the first module for ROSS, and later that year Energia showcased several options for building the new station using existing ISS modules or newly developed segments. By late August, design work on the draft station had commenced.
Rogozin announced a target to finish the ROSS design by 2022 and to have the first module ready by 2025. A Space Council and the Roscosmos Scientific and Technical Council later recommended that the project be automatic, with crew involvement limited to delivery and installation of equipment, and the station envisioned to provide broad Earth observation capabilities. A contract for the ROSS draft design, valued at 2.69 billion rubles, set a completion goal for March 31, 2024.
The fate of the ISS without Russia
Russia would continue to fulfill its ISS obligations and send cosmonauts aboard the station. In July, Roscosmos and NASA agreed to cross-flights using Russian and American spacecraft, with three Soyuz and Dragon missions planned, including a crewed mission carrying Anna Kikina in the following fall. The future of the ISS after 2024 remained uncertain due to module wear and tear, and discussions about a potential uncontrolled reentry recurred, even as propulsion from Progress vehicles attempted to adjust the station. A first probe by the Cygnus pusher occurred, but Energia later indicated that such maneuvers would require engagement of Russian propulsion to ensure proper orientation and safe reentry.
Rogozin also remarked that without substantial investment in repairs, the ISS could face serious degradation before 2030.