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The end of the ISS is near, but how soon?
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The ISS in orbit. Where is the air leak?
Source: dpa
Bankruptcies, bad luck and setbacks: The “International Space Station” needs repair and is a discontinued model. Even the toilet was broken. The future is being negotiated now, because maintenance costs are soaring.
WITHThe air supply has recently become a problem. Before Christmas, the space travelers fought on the “International Space Station” (ISS) with a leak that depletes oxygen reserves. It could be in the Zvezda module. The search for the leak has gone on for months. An unusual shaped crack had already been discovered in October. A tea bag was used to find the area a few inches in size, and it floated in the direction of the leak. The stamp was probably not enough.
The ISS has gotten closer to the classic car, it’s functional, but repair-prone and in need of care. It has been floating 400 kilometers above the earth for almost 22 years. For weeks it’s been in the headlines less for the scientific work and more for the setbacks. The station will officially remain in operation until 2024. It is not yet clear how it will continue after that.
The Russian space agency Roskosmos announced in Moscow that discussions are now taking place. Consultations with the US space agency Nasa and other partners on these issues should begin in the new year. “An extension of the operating time depends on technical and political issues that are discussed with the partners,” he says vaguely.
A few months ago, the head of Roskosmos, Dmitri Rogozin, believed that the future of the ISS by 2030 was realistic. Now his choice of words has become much more cautious. The station let them know that it was time for them to “retire,” it said a few days ago. The wounds would continue to “heal.” But the end is near.
He’s dealing with the numerous incidents at the station in recent months – the search for the air leak is dragging on. The oxygen production system fails over and over again. Even the toilet in the space was broken. Roskosmos always emphasizes that there is no immediate danger to space travelers.
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics sees the days of the ISS numbered. “As for 2030, I am skeptical. Systems are getting older and older ”. Of course, the ISS could function for another ten years, but then with a high level of maintenance, says the astrophysicist. However, he expects the ISS to be abandoned in 2026, but no later than 2028.
According to previous estimates, the total construction and operating costs of the station already amount to more than 100,000 million euros. Based on previous information, the US bears the majority of operating costs of several billion euros annually. Space tourists should now provide additional income. And Russia has long planned to expand the station with a new research module.
Some experts consider an extension of operational life realistic simply because the countries involved in the project want to get the most out of this huge investment. However, how long the ISS will continue to fly around Earth depends on whether the costs of repair work get out of hand.
The predecessor of the ISS was the Russian space station “Mir”. Twenty years ago, on January 5, 2001, the end was officially sealed. The then Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov signed the resolution “On the suspension of work on the orbital complex ‘Mir'”, which ordered the sinking of the nearly 15-year-old space station in the Pacific.
The Russian space station “Mir” was scrapped 20 years ago.
Source: dpa
The “Mir” also plagued countless breakdowns at that time. The ground station numbered over 1,500 at the time, a bitter record for the proud space nation Russia. Since its commissioning on February 20, 1986, a total of 104 Russian and foreign astronauts have worked at the station. But in the end Moscow did not have the money to continue operating.
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On March 23, 2001, the sickly Soviet heritage made its way to Earth, burned up in the atmosphere and fell like a shower of debris in the South Pacific east of New Zealand. The remains lie at the bottom of the ocean.
For Roskosmos, “Mir” started the turning point in space research and allowed people to stay in space for a long time. The planned reminders are related to the plans for the ISS. Roskosmos chief Rogozin had indicated that Russia would build its own space station after the ISS.
For practical reasons, astrophysicist McDowell could gain something from the longer life of the ISS. “Then we learn things about the factors that limit the lifespan of a space station.” This knowledge could benefit a new station if the lights on the ISS go out at some point. dpa
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