The International Space Station has been orbiting above us for the last 20 years. It’s an international partnership of five space agencies and it’s been home to astronauts from more than a dozen different countries — but mostly, Americans and Russians. The two former “Space Race” countries control the main parts of the station. And because the science done there has required close collaboration, it’s been largely insulated from politics on Earth.
But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may change that. The two countries have agreed to cooperate through 2024… but after that, the future of the space station is uncertain.
This video is part of our ongoing, broader coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For more videos that provide historical context to the headlines in the news today, watch our playlist here.
You can find this video, our playlist, and the entire library of Vox’s videos on our YouTube channel.
Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?
Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:
First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.
Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.
So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)
If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via
