Bakanov and Duffy to discuss decommissioning of the ISS
The main topic on the agenda of the talks between Dmitry Bakanov, CEO of the Roscosmos state Corporation, and Sean Duffy, acting head of NASA, will be the decommissioning of the International Space Station (ISS), said Stephen Siselof, a representative of the American Space Agency for public relations.
Earlier, the Roscosmos press service reported that Bakanov had arrived in the United States and would hold talks with Duffy on July 31, as well as meet with the crew of the Crew Dragon ship, which includes Russian Oleg Platonov.
“I’m not sure what exactly they’re going to talk about, apart from issues related to the space station and its decommissioning. There will be many discussions, many agreements, extending the life of the space station until 2030, and then decommissioning it. I believe that this will be the main topic,” said Siselof.
Bakanov visited the Mission Control Center of the American segment of the ISS in Houston on Tuesday, the state corporation said earlier. In addition, the Russian delegation plans to visit the Boeing production division, where the reusable manned CST-100 Starliner transport vehicle is being developed, and hold talks with the leadership of the company’s space program. Before the end of the visit, a delegation from the Russian Federation will visit the SpaceX spacecraft and spacecraft assembly buildings.
The Russian Federation has extended the operation of its ISS segment until 2028. Earlier it was reported that the other partners would like to continue it until 2030. According to the head of Roscosmos, a draft program for de-orbiting the ISS has been developed, and this process will take about two and a half years.