'Russia will be invited to ISS again when Putin is gone': Ex-NASA astronaut Scott Kelly

Roscosmos Director General on Sunday announced that Russia has decided to end cooperative missions with its international partners aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Russian space agency’s chief further said that Russia would soon announce an exit date and will pull out from the observatory after serving an official notice period.

Reacting to this development, former American astronaut Scott Kelly hoped for the partnership to continue but also showed optimism that NASA would manage the complications if Russia exits.

Kelly, who has relentlessly criticised Russia’s “military operation” in Ukraine, said that international ISS partners might again invite Moscow when Vladimir Putin, the Russian President “is gone”.

In a tweet posted on Sunday, Kelly wrote, "I hope NASA and Roscosmos can keep this partnership together. But, if they can’t I’m confident NASA can solve the technical challenges in a year. And if/when Putin is gone and Russia is a respectful part of society again maybe we will invite them back."

Russia disrupts international space cooperation

The space station has been a symbol of global cooperation beyond Earth and Moscow’s announcement of non-cooperation might have severe implications. The declaration of Moscow's possible exit is a result of sanctions that the western countries and others have imposed on Russia for its “military operation” in Ukraine.

In an interview with Russian state television, Rogozin had said, “The decision has been taken already, we are not obligated to talk about it publicly”.

It is worth mentioning that Rogozin has also revealed that Roscosmos will work on the ISS till 2024, as per the time frame set by the Russian Federation.

However, the space station is expected to stay operational no later than 2030 and NASA has already planned to retire the orbiting laboratory in 2030. In its transition plans released in early February, the agency revealed that the ISS would be dumped into the pacific ocean and the following years would see a rise in the introduction of private space stations. For now, the international community will have to find a replacement for Russia, as the country is currently responsible for keeping the ISS afloat using its spacecraft.