Rogozin argues that int'l space station should exist for good
BAIKONUR COSMODROME. Sept 26 (Interfax) - Outer space exploration will require the permanent presence of a space station on the Earth's orbit, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin said at a press conference at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
"I believe an international space station will exist forever. This isn't about 2024 or 2028, I'm talking about its historical necessity. Perhaps it will be reconfigured, some details of the construction of its modules might be changed, and the composition of its participants might change, but this is a step which humankind has to lean on before moving further," Rogozin said.
He called for broadening the composition of the ISS project participants as much as possible.
"Working on board the International Space Station are currently Russians, Americans, Europeans and our Japanese colleagues, but the list of countries in the future will be roughly the same as that of the UN member states, and that's fine," he said.
The experiments conducted in space and their essence will change in the future, and they will be conducted not only inside the station and its modules but outside as well, Rogozin said.
"The station will play the role of an assembly workshop, a maintenance base, and a fueling station for spacecraft departing for long-range missions," he said.
The International Space Station's operation timeline has been endorsed up to 2024, but Rogozin said earlier that the delivery of three new modules (the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, the Science Power Module, and the Nodal Module) and their incorporation into the Russian segment of the ISS should extend the station's service life at least until 2030.
The ISS project is being implemented by Russia, the United States, the European Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.