Fabulous news to start the year. The Biden administration will extend the scientific lifespan of the ISS until at least 2030. NASA says it will seek additional funding from Congress, as funding for the ISS is only approved until 2024.
The International Space Station (ISS), a science and engineering laboratory that orbits 400 km above Earth , has been with rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000.
It became fully operational in May 2009 and, thanks to this new decision, it will remain so for a few more years.
"I am pleased that the Biden-Harris Administration has committed to continuing station operations through 2030," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
NASA plans to continue working with its international partners in Europe (ESA, European Space Agency), Japan (JAXA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Canada (CSA, Canadian Space Agency), and Russia (State Space Corporation Roscosmos) “to enable the continuation of the pioneering research being carried out in this unique orbiting laboratory for the remainder of this decade.”
The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners including Europe, Russia and Japan.
