Roscosmos, NASA sign agreement on procedure for ISS's emergency deorbiting

MOSCOW. Sept 30 (Interfax) - Roscosmos and NASA have signed an agreement on distributing obligations during the process to remove the International Space Station (ISS) from orbit in the event of an emergency, the NASA inspector general said in a report.

"In July 2024, NASA and Roscosmos signed an agreement on roles and responsibilities in the event a contingency deorbit needs to be performed prior to the planned deorbit of the ISS," the document published on NASA's website said.

According to the report, the agreement envisages the joint work of NASA and Roscosmos to control the station's altitude and orientation in a situation involving its emergency deorbiting.

"However, NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel officials noted there is an increasing risk of an unplanned ISS deorbit due to the increasing amount of space objects in the path of the ISS," the report said.

NASA is holding talks with Roscosmos on the supply of Russian fuel until 2028, the document said. "These agreements will formalize Russian propellant delivery obligations for ISS and include ISS contingency deorbit reserve propellant," it said.

Roscosmos General Director Yury Borisov said on October 12, 2023 that emergency situations have become more frequent on the ISS due to the station's age and the presence of garbage in near-Earth orbit.

He said on June 30 that the ISS would cease to exist in its current form after 2030.

On April 25, Roscosmos informed its partners about the prolongation of Russia's participation in the ISS project until 2028.