Russia will withdraw from International Space Station by 2024

Russia’s new space chief, Yuri Borisov, said Tuesday that the space agency Roscosmos plans to create its own space station. Dimitry Rogozin, Borisov’s predecessor, had previously said that Russia would be willing to negotiate to keep its astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).

What does the ISS do? The football field-sized space station consists of two sections. One is run by Russia, and the other is run by the United States, Japan, Canada, and Europe. Astronauts have manned the station nonstop for almost 22 years, conducting research in zero gravity and testing equipment for future space expeditions. Elon Musk’s SpaceX company now flies NASA astronauts to and from the ISS, but for years NASA paid tens of millions of dollars per seat for rides aboard Russian Soyuz rockets.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s report on how Charlie Duke, a veteran of the Apollo moon landings, found that the heavens declare the glory of God.