MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian space officials will hold a "decisive" meeting this week that could spell the end -- or a new life -- for the accident-prone Mir space station, a Russian Space Agency spokesman said Tuesday.

Sergei Gorbunov told Reuters officials would meet on Thursday to decide whether to recommend to the government that Mir be left in space or brought down into the Pacific Ocean in a ball of fire.

"We certainly see this as a deciding moment. In the end the government will make the final decision, but it will be based on our recommendations," Gorbunov said in a telephone interview.

"The government trusts us and will give full weight to whatever we recommend."

Gorbunov said the key question hanging over Mir was the government's ability to come up with millions of dollars needed to keep it in orbit.