The head of the Russian space agency warns the United States of sanctions that could block cooperation in space, saying that this could lead to the fall of the ISS on the United States or Europe.
So far, four US astronauts and two Russian astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been “largely isolated” from tensions over the Ukrainian invasion, according to the former head of the National Space Council.
Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin posted a long topic on Twitter, complaining about President Joe Biden’s threat of sanctions that would worsen the aerospace industry, including the space program.
“If you block cooperation with us, who will save the International Space Station (ISS) from uncontrolled orbit and fall into the United States or … Europe?” He wrote.
He almost accused President Biden of having Alzheimer’s disease in a statement, urging his advisers to double-check the details to “prevent sanctions from falling on your head”.
Russian cargo spacecraft control the station’s propulsion and keep it in orbit 253 miles above the Earth – without regular adjustments, it will fall back to Earth.
NASA has confirmed that it will continue to work with all partners, including Roscosmos, on the safe operation of the station, prompting Rogozin to say Russia will carefully review sanctions before giving a detailed response.
Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin posted a long thread on Twitter, complaining about President Joe Biden’s threat of sanctions that would degrade Russia’s aerospace industry, including the space program
The International Space Station is “largely isolated” from Earth tensions, including a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine
The International Space Station was launched in 1998 and has been continuously occupied since 2000, when NASA astronaut Bill Shepard and astronauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev became its first crew.
Four NASA astronauts, two Russian astronauts and a European astronaut are currently on the space station and interacting regularly.
However, tensions on the ground are rising after Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed a force of 150,000 Ukrainian troops late Wednesday night.
Concerns have been expressed in Congress about the impact the conflict on Ukraine could have on the International Space Station.
Lawmakers have specifically exempted space cooperation from previous sanctions, although this time President Biden suggested it could be included.
That would be a mistake, according to Rogozin and other experts at the facility.
“They can’t work without us, we can’t work without them, so this is a truly international partnership,” said Scott Pace, director of the George Washington University Institute for Space Policy.
This is a complete image of the crew, taken in April 2021 by the 11 people on the ISS at the time, from Russia, the United States, Japan and Europe. While it is divided into Russian and American parts, astronauts regularly interact
ISS: AN INTERNATIONAL PROJECT
The first crew – the American Bill Shepard and the Russians Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko – took off from Kazakhstan on October 31, 2000. Two days later, they opened the doors of the space station and shook hands in unity.
The three astronauts got along well, but tensions sometimes escalated with both mission controls in Houston and outside Moscow.
Shepard, during a NASA panel discussion with his crew colleagues, said he was so frustrated with the “conflicting march orders” that he insisted they come up with a single plan.
Russia has supported station crews coming and going after NASA’s crash in Colombia in 2003 and the retirement of space shuttles in 2011.
NASA has purchased space in Roscosmos Soyuz capsules to ensure it can keep part of the station occupied, even though it does not have its own launch capability.
In 2020, SpaceX ended a nine-year drought launch for NASA and became the first private company to launch Americans into space.
“It’s a way to do things together, but it’s not endless, and Earth’s conflicts can still get in the way,” said Scott Pace, director of the George Washington University Institute for Space Policy.
“Space is more and more important for our daily lives and this is something that everyone should know.”
The shift to the use of trade suppliers has been a point of tension with Russia, as it has left Roscosmos without a regular flow of revenue to launch.
Both nations are looking to the future after the ISS is launched from orbit in 2031, with NASA focusing on buying space from commercial suppliers and Russia considering its own station.
The ISS is a collaboration between the United States and Russia, as founding partners, along with Canada, the European Space Agency and Japan.
It is divided into two main parts, the Russian and American orbital segments, and they depend on each other for operational survival.
“The Russian segment cannot function without American electricity, and the American segment cannot function without propulsion systems that are on the Russian side,” former NASA astronaut Gareth Reisman told CNN.
“So you can’t divorce in a friendly way.” You cannot make a conscious separation. ‘
NASA said in a statement that no changes were planned in cooperation between Russia and the United States on the ISS, explaining President Biden’s remarks.
“There are no plans to change the agency’s support for ongoing operations in orbit and ground stations,” a spokesman said, adding that “new export control measures will continue to allow US-Russia civil space cooperation.”
Rogozin said on Twitter after the statement, which was not addressed to him: “NASA has confirmed its desire to continue cooperating with Roscosmos. In the meantime, we continue to analyze the new US sanctions to clarify our response. ‘
He has previously tweeted a series of publications outlining the ways in which the United States is already taking action against Russia’s space program and the impact of future action.
The director general defiantly said that Russia would move forward without the United States if necessary, but warned that the ISS relied on Russia.
“Maybe President Biden is off topic,” referring to the threat of sanctions on Russia’s space program, asking his advisers to explain to him that correcting the station’s orbit, avoiding dangerous encounters with space debris with which your talented businessmen have polluted the Earth’s orbit, is produced exclusively by the engines of Russian cargo ships “Progress MS”. ‘
“If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from uncontrolled orbit and fall into the United States or … Europe?” Rogozin warned.
“There is also an option to transfer a 500-ton structure to India and China. Do you want to threaten them with such a perspective? The ISS does not fly over Russia, so all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them? ‘
“Gentlemen, when planning sanctions, check those that generate them for Alzheimer’s disease,” President Biden probably meant. “Just in case,” he added.
“So that your sanctions do not fall on your head. And not just figuratively. So for now, as a partner, I suggest you not act like an irresponsible gamer, to renounce the claim of “Alzheimer’s sanctions”.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin (right), unleashed the force of the 150,000 troops Ukraine late Wednesday night. This prompted President Joe Biden (left) and other world leaders to impose sanctions
Four NASA astronauts, two Russian astronauts and one European astronaut are currently on the space station
Russia is building its own space station
Russia announced in 2020 that it could withdraw from the International Space Station as early as 2025 and launch its own facility.
Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russia’s space agency, said work on the first module of the new station has already expired, although it could be attached to the ISS if the international facility is still in operation when it is completed in 2025.
A high-ranking Kremlin official has warned that the “catastrophe” is set for the ISS, endangering the lives of crew members due to its age – by 2025 it will be 27 years old and was originally designed to last between 15 and 30 years, according to NASA.
Russia has shared photos and videos of the first module, which will form a major part of its new high-tech orbital base, which is expected to include a tourist hotel.
Since then, NASA has confirmed plans to launch the ISS into orbit in 2031, using commercial stations instead.
Russia has not revealed its future plans, which could change dramatically after invading Ukraine on Wednesday.
NASA and the European Space Agency have pledged to continue working with Roscosmos on the ISS and other projects.
ESA Director-General Josef Ashbacher wrote on Twitter: “Despite the current conflict, civil space cooperation remains a bridge.
ESA continues to work on all its programs, including the ISS and ExoMars launch campaign, to fulfill its commitments with Member States and partners. We continue to monitor the evolving situation. ‘
Europe is locked in close partnership with Russia on the ExoMars mission, which is scheduled to launch in September – including Russia launching the spacecraft and providing the lander when it reaches Mars in 2023.
The rover, named Rosalind Franklin, was partially assembled in the UK and originally scheduled to launch in 2020 with NASA Preserving Rover, is currently in Italy and is due to be sent to Baikonur in early April.
Sources told DailyMail.com that the launch is still expected to begin in September, as planned, and work continues to take place, despite the conflict in Ukraine, although high-level talks are being held within the ESA.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has explicitly questioned the future of the International Space Station and cooperation with Russia in space, speaking at the House of Commons on Thursday.
“I generally support the continuation of artistic and scientific cooperation,” he said. “But in the current circumstances, it’s hard to see how even they can continue normally.”
A spokesman for the UK Space Agency told DailyMail.com: “It is right to raise questions about future space cooperation with Russia following the illegal invasion of Ukraine. We work regularly with our partners in the European Space Agency and monitor the situation closely. ‘
Pace warned that there is an interdependence between Russia, the United States and Europe on a number of space projects, and there are still good working relationships at the technical level, as well as between astronauts and astronauts.
“I don’t see anything happening to the station in the near future, despite the events on Earth,” he said, though he added: “It is possible to imagine a break with Russia that would threaten the space station, but it would be at the level of disruption of diplomatic relations. ‘
“It would be something that would be a last resort, so I don’t really see it happening unless there is a wider military confrontation.”
EXPLANATED: $ 100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXTENDS 250 MILLIONS ABOVE EARTH
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $ 100 billion science and engineering laboratory (£ 80 billion) that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
Since November 2000, it has been staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and astronauts.
Crews came mainly from the United States and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and the European space agency ESA also sent astronauts.
The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years and has been spent with many new modules, added and system upgrades.
Research conducted aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions in low Earth orbit, such as low gravity or oxygen.
ISS research has studied human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.
The US space agency NASA spends about $ 3 billion (£ 2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, with the rest funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.
So far, the station has been visited by 244 people from 19 countries, including eight private citizens, who have spent up to $ 50 million on their visit.
The debate over the future of the station after 2025 continues, when it is believed that part of the original structure will reach the “end of life”.
Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around then, with Axiom Space, a private company, planning to send its own modules for pure commercial use to the station at the same time.
NASA, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in orbit around the moon, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, which will also include a surface base.