The United States will continue to support the operations of the International Space Station through at least 2030, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Friday, NBC News reports. Previously, the US commitment ran through 2024.
The Biden Administration says it will continue to work with the international coalition that operates the ISS, developing technology to maintain the station and conducting experiments from around the world onboard. “As more and more nations are active in space, it’s more important than ever that the United States continues to lead the world in growing international alliances and modeling rules and norms for the peaceful and responsible use of space,” Nelson said in a statement
The future of the coalition was put into doubt with Russian space operations that threatened the safety of the station and the people on it. Earlier this year, the Russians destroyed one of its orbiting satellites in a trial of its offensive capabilities in space. The explosion resulted in ten of thousands of bits of space junk, dangerous debris that can damage functioning space devices. The ISS had to take emergency measures to prevent significant damage from the unplanned orbits of the shrapnel from the explosion.