The Russian part of the International Space Station is showing worrying signs of aging.
Many of its equipment is at the end of its life, explained a senior Russian space engineering official on Tuesday.
"The current state of the Russian segment of the ISS is cause for concern," said Vladimir Soloviev, segment flight director and chief engineer of RKK Energuia, the company responsible for maintaining the Russian part of the ISS. station.
According to him, “around 80% of flight systems are at the end of their service life, which means that once all the systems have exhausted their service life, irreparable failures can occur the very next day.
"
"Avalanche of failures after 2025"
In recent months, several damage has given rise to fears that structural problems could ultimately threaten the entire segment but also the safety of the crews in the space station.
Thus cracks were discovered on the Zarya cargo module, which dates from 1998. The Zvezda module has experienced air leaks on several occasions, particularly in 2019 and 2021.
At the beginning of April, he estimated that the life of the ISS could be extended in itself until 2030, but that it was to be expected "an avalanche of failures" after 2025.
This is why Russia has repeatedly made no secret of its desire to leave its partners from the ISS after 2025. The Russian space industry has encountered many difficulties in recent years between failed launches and corruption scandals. with ambitious projects, such as building its own space station or a lunar base with China.
