Cracks have appeared on International Space Station , Russian engineer warns

Russia has warned the world that the International Space Station is dangerously damaged. After nearly 22 years in space, the International Space Station has been damaged beyond repair, Russia has claimed. The International Space Station (ISS) was launched as a collaboration between five space agencies, US’ NASA, Japan's JAXA, Europe's ESA, Canada's CSA and Russia's Roscosmos back in November 1998. Russian cosmonauts are aboard the ISS which is floating in space above the Earth as are astronauts from NASA and other space agencies.

How dangerously damaged is the International Space Station? BBC, quoting a report by Russian state media, said that Russian engineer Vladimir Solovyov has said that at least 80 percent of in-flight systems on the Russian segment of the International Space Station had passed their expiry date. Vladimir Solovyov also said that small cracks had been discovered on the International Space Station that could worsen over time.

Solovyov, who is the chief engineer at the space company Energia that is the leading developer of Russia's section of the International Space Station has said that a day after the in-flight systems are exhausted, irreparable damages are likely to begin. “Literally a day after the [in-flight] systems are fully exhausted, irreparable failures may begin,” he told Russia’s state media.

But this is not the first time that Vladimir Solovyov has warned about issues on the International Space Station. Last year he said that much of the equipment on the International Space Station had started to age and that it would soon need to be replaced. At the time, Vladimir Solovyov had also said that he had discovered “superficial” cracks on the Zarya module, which is Russia’s module on the International Space Station that was launched back in 1998 that is now primarily used for storage. “This is bad and suggests that the fissures will begin to spread over time,” Vladimir Solovyov told Russia’s news agency, RIA.

It is worth noting that Vladimir Solovyov’s statement regarding damage in the International Space Station comes shortly after announcing earlier this year its plans of leaving the International Space Station after 2025 and building its own independent space station.