Russian segment of International Space Station facing 'irreparable failures'

The segment of the International Space Station belonging to Russia is facing "irreparable failures" due to out-of-date hardware.

According to Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of the Energia rocket and space corporation, "Around 80 percent of the inflight systems on Russia's segment have reached the end of their service period."

"This means that literally a day after the systems are fully exhausted, irreparable failures may begin," Solovyov added.

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Energia is the leading developer of Russia's section of the ISS, a joint venture with the United States, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency. It is a manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components.

The space station has suffered several recent incidents. Russian officials last month said a software glitch, and a possible lapse in human attention, were to blame for throwing the ISS out of control.

Jet thrusters on the Russian research module Nauka inadvertently reignited a few hours after it had docked, causing the entire orbital outpost to pitch out of its normal flight position with seven crew members aboard.

Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, also reported last month a drop in pressure in the Zvezda service module, which provides living quarters for crew members on the ISS that was caused by an air leak.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has said it will remain part of the ISS until 2024 and that it is open to extending its participation beyond then.

(With inputs from agencies)