Reply to post:

Ah, you know what? Keep your crappy space station, we're gonna try to make our own, Russia tells world

Plonquer

Need to put this in context. The current ISS is in a deteriorating orbit and will be unsafe in 2028. There is a very good chance the Russians will take the ISS modules they built - which are MUCH higher quality than those built by the USA - boost them into a more sustainable orbit and continue to develop them without the assistance of the USA. Meanwhile the USA have made no announcement about their ISS modules and are widely expected to let them burn up in the atmosphere as they have neither the technology nor the capital to do much else.

Meanwhile Russia and China have signed an MOU to build a second Space Station in orbit around the moon.

Meanwhile China is the only country to have landed on the moon in 40 years and will have a groundstation on Mars in May or June.

All of this is a consequence of the US Congress banning China from the ISS. If, instead of warmongering, the USA had cooperated they'd be in good shape today. As it is they are falling into 3rd place behind Russia and China. And Elon Musk has rented an apartment in Beijing.

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