Biden extends U.S. support for International Space Station through 2030

Reuters

Published Dec 31, 2021 03:08PM ET

Updated Dec 31, 2021 03:55PM ET

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) - The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has committed to extending the International Space Station (ISS) operations through 2030, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Friday.

Nelson said that the Biden administration had committed to working with international partners, including Russia, to continue research being conducted in the orbiting laboratory through the rest of this decade. Russia and the United States have had close cooperation aboard the International Space Station for more than two decades.

U.S. officials said in November that an anti-satellite missile test that Russia conducted generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit that endangered the station and will pose a hazard to space activities for years.

The station would operate through 2030 if approved by international partners and funded by the U.S. Congress. Currently, Congress has approved funding through 2024.

The Interfax news agency said in August that Russia and the United States will continue working together on ISS after 2024, citing a senior official at Russia's space agency Roscosmos.