Russia will withdraw from the International Space Station project after 2024 to focus on forming its own space station, the head of the Russian space agency said Tuesday.

The announcement, given by Roscosmos CEO Yuri Borisov, reflects the further disintegration of relations between the U.S. and Russia. The two nations have partnered with Japan, Canada and other European countries on the project for nearly 30 years.

Borisov said Russia will honor all commitments to its partners but will not waiver on the 2024 deadline. "I think we will have started work on the Russian space station by that time," he said.

Russian officials have not yet notified NASA of their plans, according to Robyn Gatens, director of the space station for NASA.

What is the International Space Station? What significance has it contributed to science? Here's what to know.

What is the International Space Station?

The International Space Station, or ISS, is a large spacecraft that orbits the earth and houses crews of astronauts and cosmonauts, according to NASA.

The station is the culmination of the work of several nations. It's not owned by any one nation; rather, it's a "co-operative program" between Europe, the U.S.

Uncontrolled debris from a Chinese rocket could come crashing back to Earth as soon as Saturday, according to The Aerospace Corporation, a federally-funded space research center that tracks orbital debris reentry.

China launched a new laboratory module called the Wentian for its Tiangong space station from Hainan Island in the South China Sea earlier this week. The rocket carrying the module, the Long March 5B, will make an uncontrolled reentry.

This isn't the first time rocket debris from China's space program has plunged through the atmosphere with an air of suspense.

In May 2021, the world watched with uncertainty as it tried to determine where the remains of a rocket of the same class carrying the initial module for the Tiangong space station would crash.

After days of tense monitoring by scientists and various agencies, including United States Space Command, the rocket reentered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.

Now, a replica situation is at hand.

The rocket, China's largest, measures roughly 175 feet and weighs 23 metric tons, according to the Aerospace Corporation. It is much too early to tell exactly where it will fall.