Russia's new space chief announced on Tuesday his country plans to withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024, but senior NASA officials said Moscow has not formally conveyed an intent to end its two-decade-old orbital partnership with the United States.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
While heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia's invasion of Ukraine have raised months of doubt about future American-Russian space cooperation, the announcement by Yuri Borisov, the newly appointed director-general of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, came as a surprise.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson issued a statement reiterating the US commitment to keeping the ISS in operation through 2030, adding the space agency "is coordinating with our partners."
"NASA has not been made aware of decisions from any of our partners, though we are continuing to build future capabilities to assure our major presence in low-Earth orbit," he said.
