Russian space boss warns ISS equipment beyond warranty

Moscow’s Roscosmos space chief warned Friday that the majority Russian gear on the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) was past its guarantee, weeks after the station’s Russian phase sprang one other coolant leak.

The leak, Russia’s third in lower than a yr, raised new questions in regards to the reliability of the nation’s space program, at the same time as officers stated crew members weren’t in peril.

“The Worldwide Area Station is approaching the end line of its existence,” Roscosmos boss Yuri Borisov stated on state tv.

“We prolonged the operation of the Russian phase by authorities determination till 2028, however, sadly, it has already exceeded all permissible intervals of existence,” he stated.

“Eighty % of the Russian gear is past the warranty interval,” he warned.

Moscow’s as soon as pioneering space program has confronted a number of setbacks for the reason that collapse of the USSR, together with the lack of two Mars missions and its first lunar probe in nearly 50 years this August.

In the identical interview, Borisov stated there have been “critical conclusions” to attract from the latest Luna-25 crash.

“Luna-25 was 16 years within the making,” he stated. “That is an unacceptably very long time. It is due primarily to erratic funding.”

He stated that the staff who labored on the probe was younger, and that it could be improper to “slap them on the wrist at the moment”.

“It’s obligatory to attract the suitable conclusions from the entire state of affairs, work on the errors and definitely proceed this work,” he stated.

The Russian space sector has confronted funding issues for years in addition to corruption scandals.

President Vladimir Putin in September vowed to proceed Russia’s lunar program, regardless of the setback.

© 2023 AFP