Russia and the United States have no plans to end joint scientific experiments on board the International Space Station (ISS), Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Lev Zelyony said Wednesday.
He said the issue was discussed by Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden recently.
“[Both countries] intend to continue experiments on board the ISS,” Zelenyi said.
The US space agency made an announcement in early April that it would halt cooperation with Russia amid souring tensions in Ukraine but would continue working together on the International Space Station and participate in joint meetings at international events in third countries. In May, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced plans to end Russia’s participation in the International Space Station after 2020.
Over the past few months, the US has introduced several rounds of economic sanctions against Moscow. However, Russia and the United States are still cooperating on a number of issues, including the space industry.
The International Space Station (ISS) was launched on November 20, 1998. Fifteen nations are currently involved in the project, including Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan and eleven members of the European Space Agency. The United States retired its last space shuttle in 2011 and currently relies on Russia’s Soyuz rockets to access the ISS.
