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Biden approves extension of US participation in ISS program to 2030

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United States President Joe Biden has signed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors(CHIPS) and Science Act, giving thegreen light for the extension of US participation in the International Space Station (ISS) program until 2030.

The CHIPS and Science Act, which intends to boost production of US-made semiconductors, also includes NASAӰҵ Authorization Act. The act authorizes NASAӰҵ Artemis program as well as US participation in the ISS program for six more years.

“We are thrilled that this bipartisan legislation includes the 2022 NASA Authorization Act. Thenew law shows that Congress and the White House recognize the importance of space to ournationӰҵ competitiveness and resoundingly back NASAӰҵ goals for space exploration,” Frank Slazer, president and CEO ofThe Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, said in a statement.

But to enable the use of the ISS throughout the rest of this decade, NASA needssupportfromRussia, Japan, Canada, and EuropeӰҵ space agencies.

However, after the invasion of Ukraine, the head of RussiaӰҵ space agency said the country will end cooperation on the ISS after 2024 and build its own space station. It is worth noting that Russia has long been intending to divest from the ISS after 2024.

Roscosmos, RussiaӰҵ equivalent to NASA, still ownsaround aquarter oftheISS, known as the Russian segment.It is responsiblefor navigation and control of the entire spacecraft, and, without it, the station would not be able to function.

The ISS is amultinationalscience laboratory in space that has been orbiting since 1988 and has been funded tooperateuntil 2024. During its23 years of operation, thestationhas conducted more than 3,000experimentsfrom over 4,200 researchers from across the globe.

China, whichwas denied access tothe ISSprogram, is currently building its own space station, called Tiangong. It is expected that the China Space Station will be fully operational by the end of 2022.

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