Photo: REUTERS / copyright
The International Space Station (ISS) could suffer irreversible damage due to the age of the equipment and the hardware with which it works, a Russian official warned.
Former cosmonaut Vladimir Solovyov told state media that so minus the 80% of the flight systems of the Russian segment of the ISS are with the expiration date.
And that’s not all. Solovyov, who serves as the flight program chief, said that small cracks that could worsen have also been identified. over time.
It is not the first time that Russia has raised concerns about the deterioration of the station. He has even suggested leave the ISS after 2025 .
The station was built in 1998 as part of a joint project between Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan and several European countries, and was originally designed for a useful life of 15 years. Have passed 23.
“Literally a day after the systems (in flight) are completely exhausted, irreparable failures can begin”, said Solovyov, chief engineer of the space company Energia, which is the main promoter of the Russian section in the ISS.
Since last year it has warned that much of the station’s equipment is aging and will soon have to be replaced.
In addition, the ex-cosmonaut also r revealed that “surface” cracks have been discovered in the Russian cargo module Zarya, launched in 1998 and one of the oldest in the station that now serves as a storage room.
“This is bad and suggests that the cracks will start to widen over time, ”Solovyov told RIA news agency.
Already in April the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Yuri Borisov , declared on state television that the aging of the plant’s metal could “lead to irreversible consequences, to a catastrophe “.
” We must not let that happen, “he indicated.
For its part, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said last year that structural fatigue meant that the ISS would not be able to function beyond 2030 .
Less than two months ago, a fault caused the thrusters of the Nauka research model will explode without warning destabilizing the ISS.
In addition, its Zvezda service module, which provides accommodation to members of the station crew, has also experienced several air leaks since 2019 .
Added to wear station, the Russian space program has been hit in recent years by a series of budget cuts rivers and corruption scandals .
However, and despite these setbacks, the country’s space agency has promised a series of ambitious projects, as a mission to Venus, the created ion of a rocket capable of round trips to space and a mission to the surface of the Moon next year.
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