March 1, 2015

In Soviet Russia, space explores you. (Credit: Thinkstock)

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com @BednarChuck

Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, has pledged support for the International Space Station (ISS) through 2024, but will look to build its own orbiting base after that time.

According to Discovery News, the announcement came earlier this week and reverses previous claims by Russian officials that the country would withdraw from the 15-nation program when current agreements expired in 2020. Their new four-year commitment puts pressure on officials in Europe, Canada, and Japan to agree to a similar extension, the website added.

A Russian space station

Those decisions are pending, but this weeks announcement also confirms that Roscosmos has plans to set up its own space outpost in the near future. The officials plan to reposition three of its modules, none of which have actually been launched yet, to form the base of a new, Russian-owned and operated facility that will serve as the base for manned missions to the moon.

[STORY: ISS adding more spaceship parking]

Detailed study and the final decisions are planned after the synthesis of reports of heads of rocket and space industry in subsequent meetings, Yuri Koptev, chairman of the Roscosmos Scientific and Technical Council said in a statement. There was a general coordinated point of view. [The council] approved the basic concept of the Russian manned space flight until 2025. We will take into account possible changes in funding, and the program will be updated.

On Twitter, former ISS commander and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield called the reports excellent news, especially when read between the rhetoric. He added that the space station was a key global symbol. However, not everyone shared Hadfields enthusiasm about the news.

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Russia commits to ISS until 2024; plans to build own station