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Roscosmos chief believes ISS would exist forever

According to Dmitry Rogozin, "it is the foundation for the humanity to move further"

BAIKONUR /Kazakhstan/, September 26. /TASS/. The head of Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, believes that the International Space Station will exist forever, and the number of participating nations would grow to match the current number of UN member states.

"I think that the International Space Station would exist forever. It’s not about 2024 or 2028 [the years of the station’s purported retirement - TASS], I’m speaking about its historic importance. Possibly, it would be reconfigured, some constructive features of modules would change, the number of participants would change, but it is the foundation for the humanity to move further," Rogozin said.

He added that although today the list of the ISS project participants comprises Russia, US, Europe and Japan, the list would keep expanding in future to eventually reach the number of UN member states, and "this is a normal process."

"The list of experiments would change and the reason behind them, they would be conducted not only inside the station, inside the modules, but on its outer hull. The station will gain importance as an assembly facility, as a maintenance base, as a refueling station for spacecraft that are about to embark upon lengthy journeys," Rogozin said.