Mir orbiting Earth. Photo: NASA

The back-and-forth struggle between the Russian government and MirCorp over the future of the space station Mir heated up once again on Monday when a high-ranking government official made comments suggesting that time was running out for the aging outpost only to have the Holland-based firm refute the notion.

Following other statements made by Russian space officials, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov said that the Mir space station would be brought down in February, sounding as if the decision was all but final.

However, MirCorp then issued a statement putting the best face possible on Klebanov's comments by pointing out that he also said "if there are non-governmental resources to finance the Mir station, it opens the possibility to change the situation."

MirCorp has been leasing the space station and even sent a three-man crew to Mir earlier this year. But uncertainty over MirCorp's ability to raise enough funds to keep the station aloft and Russian's dire financial troubles have put Mir's long-term future in serious doubt. Russian engineers have generated a plan in which the station would make a controlled reentry into Earth's atmosphere next February.

Since the word of the possible deorbit of Mir, MirCorp officials have pleaded the hierarchy of the Russian government for the future of the 14-year old station. MirCorp's statement indicated the company wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to make the final decision on the future of Mir.

MirCorp also said its wants company president Jeffrey Manber to meet with Putin before making any major decisions.

Furthermore, Manber said MirCorp's funding for the current Progress resupply ship -- which docked to the station last week -- was running two or three weeks late, even though the Russian government apparently granted a reprieve since the launch went on as scheduled.

According to MirCorp, hopes of turning the station, a symbol of Russian pride, into a commercial space platform are as strong as ever. But the recent rumblings from Russian authorities suggest that the outpost is just months away from a destruction.