The United States will quit the International Space Station project as soon as it has tested its own manned spacecraft, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Ryazansky said in an interview to the Yandex.Efir video hosting service (Russia’s counterpart of YouTube). This reported by TASS.

"I am certain that as soon as the Americans have tested their manned spacecraft, they will quit the ISS program," Ryazansky told talk show host Sophie Shevardnadze.

After that, he speculated, the United States will begin to invest in a Moon orbiter.

Ryazansky is skeptical about the prospects for operating the ISS after the Americans quit.

"I believe that for Russia in general this project is a retarder, because our situation with onboard science research is far worse than the one the US counterparts have at the moment, and no intention is in sight to considerably improve it," he said.

Ryazansky believes that Russia with its relatively moderate space budget should focus on some more promising project.