Time in the game yes.

Technical experience nope not even close to China let alone the USA.

What portion of the ISS bill does Russia pay?

Russia was serious about launching Soyuz rockets (R-7s), so they didn’t take decades to build any one of them. It isn’t the R-7s that provided fake jobs, and it isn’t the work at JPL that are fake jobs, but if the U.S. were serious about manned deep space exploration, SLS would not have taken so long to get this far. The whole idea of using existing parts and technology was for NASA to get back into manned space sooner, not later. We are approaching two decades since Columbia, and NASA still depends upon Russia and private companies to get its astronauts into space. Congress has not been serious about a manned space program. The SLS jobs are not serious jobs (my apologies to the workers at NASA and to my friends and co-workers who moved to SLS and Orion, but your leaders are not using your talents, skills, and knowledge to the best of your abilities).

Rocket Lab and SpaceX are definitely serious about space, and other launch companies may be, too. So are several satellite companies and some other space-oriented companies (e.g. Made in Space and Nanoracks).

On top of everything else, after the Ukraine dust settles, will they have the means to run an independent space station.

I can see them wanting to partner with China. I am not sure I see China wanting to partner with them. Remains to be seen.

sippin_bourbon: Those modules have been under construction for decades. It is my belief that if Russia breaks off the partnership, it will accelerate their construction and get them launched, so that their half of ISS can be separated.

Remember, Russia runs its space program like NASA runs SLS, slow and mostly to create fake jobs. If they really need to get these modules launched, that will change very quickly.

What makes you believe they would bother with the additional modules if they plan to end cooperation?

“All they want is food, for God’s sake!”

Ben Richards (Ahnold)

‘The Running Man’ 1987 Glaser

Fun fact: The director Paul Michael Glaser likely needs no introduction to some, but was ‘Starsky’ on the 1975 TV show ‘Starsky and Hutch’. The one with the cool Torino.

Too bad, it was to drill 10 meters deep. It would’ve been launched later this year. Making a new lander might not be done until the Mars conjunction 2027, especially as the economy tanks very severely and permanently with hyperinflation and debt collapse, blackouts industry bankruptcies and food shortages. I expect ESA’s budget to be cut by at least half this or next year.

A little extra disrespect.