The delay of signing the contract between NASA and Rososmos brings risks to both the Americans and the entire ISS.

      The operating contract between the NASA and Roscosmos provides transporting astronauts by the Russian spacecrafts Soyuz till 2017 inclusive. At the same time it has not yet been finalized how the US astronauts will reach the International Space Station.

      Thus, in July, 2015 it was reported about intentions of the USA to sign the contract in autumn, however, it is still pending. Sources note that the Americans may be reckoning on the possibility that the private companies SpaceX and Boeing Space Exploration will have finished tests of new shipships by 2018.

      At the same time the uncertainty of the situation brings risks not only to the American expedition, but to the whole of the ISS, since the Russian and the American segments are interconnected.