MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The federal space agency Roscosmos is to decide whether Russia's participation in the International Space Station project beyond 202 would be worthwhile, Roscosmos deputy chief Sergei Savelyev said.
"We will submit our proposals to the leadership and inform our partners in advance about the decision made," Savelyev said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
"The United Sates is the only country thus far to have officially announced plans to continue operating the stations until 2024. We expect the other partners to make up their minds in 2015," he said.
Russia is to decide whether or not it will continue participating in the ISS project and also how the Russian manned flights program will develop further, he also said.
Asked whether Russia would build a new orbital station, Savelyev said," The construction of a new Russian orbit stations is generally possible."
"This project could be implemented under international cooperation arrangements, with China, for instance. However, neither the current, nor the draft federal space program deals with it. Its implementation can only be linked to the ISS prospect," Savelyev said.