If Russia declined to participate in the ISS and went so far as to unhook its modules, could the rest of the nations involved keep the station in orbit? The answer is yes, but it might take time, money, and effort. “If the Russians simply say ‘we’re leaving’, that might lead to legal and diplomatic action, but the issue of the engineering aspects, the integrity of the station, the viability, the sustainability, will have to be addressed by the remaining partners.” “You just can’t take your football and go home,” Gabrynowicz says. Talks would be required because the space station is designed to be interdependent. ![]() Practically speaking, “if the withdrawing partner decides to speak with the remaining partners, it’s all subject to negotiation.” Without that permission, they would be in breach of the agreement. Joanne Gabrynowicz, a professor who specializes in space law, says the agreements governing the ISS require a partner seeking to leave to obtain consent from the other partners. Any separation of the station or safe disposal will also require international cooperation.” “Assembling the ISS took a look of international cooperation. “I would hope any change on their part would be an orderly one,” Scott Pace, a space policy expert at George Washington University and the former executive director of the US Space Council, told Quartz. What would happen if Russia leaves the ISS? It’s not clear how the Ukrainian crisis will end, but the economic sanctions targeting Russia will likely be rolled back slowly, and could lead Russia to call it quits. Officially, the ISS is set to operate through 2024, though most people involved expect to see that deadline extended through 2028 or 2030. NASA officials have been typically circumspect, saying regular cooperation continues and they have no indication of any changes. ![]() Russia’s top space official, Dmitry Rogozin, known for overblown Twitter rhetoric on his best days, has hit new highs during the crisis, at one point suggesting that due to sanctions, Russia would abandon the orbital habitat and let it crash into Earth.
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