The United States planned to flood the ISS without the participation of Russia

The United States in the draft budget for next year included funds for the creation of a tractor, which will be needed to flood the International Space Station (ISS). The corresponding draft budget for fiscal 2024 is published on  the White House website .

The column on space projects states that the US needs to prepare to safely sink the ISS by de-orbiting it first as the US moves to cheaper commercial space stations.

“Instead of relying on Russian systems that may not be able to complete this task, the budget provides $180 million to begin development of a new space tug,” the text says.

It is noted that such a tractor may be useful for other space transport missions.

In January last year, Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Solovyov , flight director of the ISS Russian segment, said that the United States has plans to flood the orbital station after its operation is completed. According to him, they plan to take the station out of orbit in less than ten years – by 2028-2030, although the expected lifespan ends earlier.

The ISS was put into operation in autumn 1998. In 2015, Roscosmos and NASA agreed to extend the life of the station until 2024.
The orbital station is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive object built by man. The total cost of the project is more than $150 billion.