The announcement may be part of Moscow's maneuvering to win relief from Western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.
Nelson has repeatedly expressed optimism Russia would agree to continue the program, telling CBS News earlier this year that"this professional relationship between our astronauts and cosmonauts, it's consistent, and it's going to stay."
One of the most complex engineering projects ever attempted, the International Space Station is made up of two primary segments, one managed by NASA and the other by Roscosmos. The back section of the station, made up of six pressurized compartments, is operated by Roscosmos. One of those, known as Zarya, connects the U.S. and Russian segments. It was paid for by NASA but is operated by Russia. Four Russian docking ports are currently used by Progress cargo ships and Soyuz crew ferry vehicles.
Russia delivers the needed propellant aboard unpiloted Progress cargo ships, which can either fire their own thrusters to provide reboost or transfer propellants to tanks aboard the station for use by on-board thrusters. While NASA recently tested its own reboost capability using a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship, the agency does not have the capability yet to provide all the propellant and thrusting needed if Russia does, in fact, pull out.
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