Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Sergey Korsakov have officially left the Russian Federation cosmonaut corps, state space corporation Roscosmos announced on its website.
Artemyev, the 118th cosmonaut of Russia and a Hero of Russia titleholder, completed his service on July 24. Korsakov, designated the 127th cosmonaut of Russia who also holds the Hero of Russia honor, finished his work at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on July 31.
Leadership, fellow corps members, and staff at the Gagarin Center thanked both men for their long service and contributions to domestic crewed spaceflight. Roscosmos also expressed gratitude for their work and wished them success in future activities.
Careers of Artemyev and Korsakov
Artemyev joined the cosmonaut corps of rocket and space corporation RSC Energia in May 2003. He completed two years of general space training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City before earning qualification as a test cosmonaut.
Over his career, Artemyev completed three space flights in 2014, 2018, and 2022. He logged eight spacewalks with a total duration of 53 hours and 32 minutes outside the International Space Station. Following his departure from the training center, Artemyev plans to focus on personal and social-political projects. He serves as a deputy in the Moscow City Duma and holds the presidency of the Association of Space Museums.
Korsakov completed a single space flight in 2022, spending 195 days in orbit during his mission to the space station.
Extension of International Space Station Operations
Alongside the departures, Roscosmos General Director Dmitry Bakanov reported that the Russian state space corporation and NASA have agreed to extend joint operations on the International Space Station until 2030. Previous schedules called for the orbital facility to end operations in 2028 and be de-orbited in 2030.
Hero of Russia Oleg Kononenko, head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, welcomed the extension. Kononenko said the decision gives Russia an essential time buffer to transition toward operating the planned Russian Orbital Station.
Speaking at a meeting of Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, Bakanov announced that the new station's first module is planned for deployment in orbit in 2028, with full operations beginning in 2030. He noted that the station will serve as the world's first drone platform.
