This article was originally published on July 26, 2022.

The largest country by land area is Europe, and it announced plans to end its collaboration on one of the most important parts of space exploration and data collection.

What happened: Russia announced in July it would withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024 and instead focus on building its own orbiting outpost, as reported by Associated Press.

The move came months after Russia invaded Ukraine and previously threatened to abandon the ISS.

Tuesday’s announcement comes weeks later Yuri Borisov was appointed to head the Russian space agency roscosmos from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made,” said Borisov. “I think at that point we will start forming a Russian orbital station.”

The launch of its own space station is not new information from Russia, but the schedule may have shifted due to hostile international relations between Russia and other countries due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The ISS consists of two sections, one operated by Russia and the other by the US and other countries. It was not made clear on Tuesday what will happen to the Russian side of the plant after 2024.

Related link: Will the Russians leave the US astronaut stranded in space?

Why it matters: Russia and the United States have been collaborating on the International Space Station for decades, with some pointing out that it is one of the last remaining partnerships between the two countries and a symbol of post-Cold War collaboration on behalf of science.

Experts are now questioning the possibilities of keeping the International Space Station running without the help of Russia, a country that has been important to the project’s success over the past 24 years.

NASA hopes to operate the International Space Station by 2030.

Russia’s move could be an attempt to end the space partnership with possible sanctions relief over the conflict in…