Legally, Russia can’t just take its Space Station and go home

Enlarge / Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with head of Russian space agency Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin during a flight to the Vostochny Cosmodrome on September 4, 2021. (credit: ALEXEY DRUZHININ/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

The fate of the International Space Station hangs in the balance as tensions between Russia and the West escalate following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

However, given that the conflict is now nearly a month old and the old laboratory is still flying high, it appears that the partnership among Russia, the United States, and 13 other nations will continue to hold. This article will consider the future of the partnership from three different dimensions: technical, legal, and political. It starts with the solid premise, repeated over and over by NASA officials, that the United States wants to continue flying the International Space Station through at least 2024.

The real question about the near-term future of the International Space Station, therefore, is whether Russia wants to continue flying it. The answer is "probably yes."

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