World News for Students of English

01-08-2022 07:00

The International Space Station (ISS) is a space lab 400 kilometers above Earth where Russia, the US, Canada, Japan, and other countries work together.

Many people think of Russia and the US as the most important members because Russian machines control the position and US power runs the station.

To the surprise of NASA, the Russian space agency head Yuri Borosov indirectly said that Russia will withdraw from the ISS in 2024. On a video, Borosov spoke with President Putin about the country’s cooperation at the station, its plan to fulfill all its obligations, and in 2024, Russia will work on its space station.

NASA’s ISS director Robin Gaten replied that Russia did not release its plan to the agency as is part of the international agreement. A US government spokesperson added that the change was unexpected, as the countries had recently renewed an agreement on space flight.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, relations fell between Russia and the US, and the ISS was one of the last civil links between the two countries. People expected the countries at the ISS to work together through 2030; earlier this month, Russia and the US agreed to cooperate on astronaut flights to the station.

Difficult words: withdraw (to stop work), fulfill all obligations (to do all the plans or work you plan to do), civil link (a friendly relationship).

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