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Russia seems to be planning for a future where international co-operation is no longer the norm for space travel.

The issue came up when the deputy chief designer for Russia’s space corporation was discussing four new modules the Russians were bringing online for the International Space Station.

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“If the need arises, we could undock the new modules [from the ISS], starting with the MLM, and they will serve as a foundation for a new generation Russian space station,” Alexander Derechin, deputy chief designer for Russia’s space corporation RKK Energia, was reported as saying by UPI.

The move isn’t quite as unfriendly as it seems, as the ISS is set to be “deorbited” in 2020. (“Deorbited” meaning, of course, crashing the ISS into the ocean the same way MIR crashed in 2001.) In many ways this is a smart way to save relatively new modules that shouldn’t be thrown away after just a few years of use.

However, it is notable that the new space station Russia is ruminating about is not International Space Station 2.0, but another national space station akin to Mir. This could be an indication that the era space co-operation engendered by the fall of Communism is coming to an end.