Russia has decided to quit the International Space Station after 2024.

Moscow's space agency Roscosmos ' newly-appointed chief Yury Borisov announced the decision yesterday. President Vladimir Putin was also briefed about it. Yury Borisov also told Putin that in spite of this decision, space programme will continue to get top priority and Russia will start putting together a Russian orbital station before 2024.

Russia and US have worked side by side on the space station which has been in orbit since 1998. Sending the first man into space in 1961 and launching the first satellite four years earlier are among key accomplishments of the Soviet space programme and remain a major source of national pride in Russia.

NASA has made no immediate comment on Russian decision to quit the International Space Station after 2024. US State Department spokesman Ned Price called the announcement an unfortunate development given the “valuable professional collaboration our space agencies have had over the years. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the US is “exploring options” for dealing with a Russian withdrawal.