The U.S. forced Russia to reduce its presence in the International Space Station
Only two cosmonauts will be on the International Space Station (ISS) as of the spring of 2017, according to a source cited by TASS on Tuesday, September 13, 2016.
The reduction is due to the U.S. decision to abandon the Russian cargo ship Progress in favor of their own devices, which will only run three times a year. The reduced number of flights per year is not enough to supply three regularly orbiting astronauts, therefore their number is proposed to be reduced prior to the commissioning of the multipurpose laboratory module (MLM).
The device is scheduled for launch by the end of the next year. Should this schedule be implemented, the reduction will be distributed to only one Russian crew, otherwise this practice will be extended in order to get the MLM into operation.
Earlier, the Director of Piloted Programs of the Roskosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, Sergey Krikalev, reported the reduction of the Russian crew of the ISS as a result of economic and effectiveness studies.