Russia said it would end its cooperation with the International Space Station (ISS) until Western-led sanctions on Ukraine’s invasion are lifted.
The head of the country’s space agency said it will no longer work with its partners, including NASA and the European Space Agency, on the groundbreaking orbiting laboratory.
Dmitry Rogozin (chief of Roscosmos) announced the news via Twitter. He said that he would submit to the Kremlin a timeline for the completion of the current Roscosmos projects.
The move follows several weeks of threats to, delays, and cancelled Roscosmos project after a wave sanctions against Russian oligarchs involved in warring Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rogozin previously said ‘who would save the ISS?’ If Russia withdraws from the project. Elon Musk, the billionaire US citizen, responded by naming his private space firm ‘SpaceX.
Musk answered a question on Twitter asking if SpaceX was going to keep the ISS and Earth safe.
The symbol of post-Cold War peace, the ISS is divided into two halves. Life support comes from the US and propulsion stops it from falling to Earth from Russia.
Rogozin had previously stated their responsibilities for the ISS could pass to Europe or the US if the latter pulled out. But the US said that it would still be difficult to run the satellite by itself.
This is a result of three Russian cosmonauts arriving at the ISS in yellow and blue flight suits, late March. Some people considered this a gesture of support for Ukraine while others saw it as a humiliation to Putin’s government.
Rogozin stated today in a tweet that sanctions from Japan, Canada, and the United States are being used to block financial, economic, and production activities at high-tech companies.
In late March, three Russian cosmonauts arrived on the International Space Station in yellow-and-blue flight suits. Some people claim that they resemble Ukrainian national colors.
According to the head of the national space agency, it has decided not to work with NASA and the European Space Agency in the development of an orbiting laboratory. (Photo: International Space Station
Dmitry Rogozin (pictured), stated that Russia would no longer cooperate with its European Space Agency and NASA on the orbiting ISS.
Dmitry Rogozin (chief of Roscosmos), announced the decision via Twitter. He also said that he would submit to the Kremlin a timeline for the completion of the current Roscosmos projects.
“The sanctions are designed to destroy the Russian economy and plunge the people of Russia into despair and starvation, as well as bring down the country. Although it is obvious that the sanctions will not succeed, their intentions are evident.
“I believe the only way to restore normal relations between the International Space Station partners and other joint projects is through the unconditional and complete lifting of all illegal sanctions.
“Specific Roscosmos suggestions regarding the timing of completion of cooperation with the ISS space agencies (USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan) will be presented to the leadership of Japan in the near-term.
The International Space Station (ISS), is the biggest single structure to be launched into space by humans.
Since November 2000, it has been continuously occupied and manned by multi-national teams mostly from Russia and the USA.
The European Space Agency (ESA) says it’s not held by one country and that it’s a ‘cooperative programme’ among Europe, America, Russia and Canada.
Rogozin stated in a tweet thread that he had written each participating ISS country’s space agency regarding their sanctions against Russia.
He also shared his responses with them, including the European Space Agency’s, where he said that it would forward the matter on to the other member countries to be discussed.
Rogozin stated, “By this point, the ISS might have died by itself,”
Elon Musk (left) previously stated that his company SpaceX would save the International Space Station if Russia tried to take it out of orbit following threats from Vladimir Putin’s chief space officer.
“Nevertheless, the position taken by our partners is that the sanctions will not change.
“At the same, in fear of the destruction of cooperation at the ISS where Russia’s role is fundamentally important to ensure its viability, safety and security, Western partners have made it clear that sanctions in relation to work for the ISS are not going down. This is unacceptable.
Russia had already withdrawn cooperation with Germany on a space telescope – which it temporarily switched off – and experiments on the ISS.
Roscosmos also rescinded a Soyuz Sharing Agreement with Arianespace (European Space Agency) in French Guiana.
The UK also owns OneWeb satellites built by the U.S. and threatened to seize them without any guarantee that they wouldn’t be used in military operations.
OneWeb cancelled the launch of its Soyuz rocket at Baikonur’s cosmodrome.
This is a result of three Russian cosmonauts arriving at the International Space Station late March in flight suits made in Ukraine’s national colors – which was viewed by many as a defiance act.
Three spacemen from Kazakhstan flew in blue and yellow suits to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS21 spacecraft.
The men were the first new arrivals on the space station since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine in February.
One of the cosmonauts was seen in a blue flightsuit as the capsule prepares to dock with space station. They did not know what message their yellow uniforms were meant to convey.
Oleg Artemyev was questioned about yellow flight suits by newly-arrived cosmonauts who were able talk to their family on Earth.
He explained that each crew picks its flight suit, and they’re not all identical.
“It was our turn to choose a color. However, the truth is that we’d accumulated lots of yellow materials and we were forced to use them. “So that is why we needed to wear yellow,” he explained.
NASA stated at the start of March it was looking for ways to maintain the ISS’s orbit without Russian assistance. This includes commercial cargo vehicles such as SpaceX or Northrup Grumman.
SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, already supplies the ISS with materials.
It launched the new Falcon 9 rocket, a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, from Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center on December 31, for a cargo resupply mission.
A Dragon capsule was loaded on the Falcon rocket with supplies and scientific experiments, as well as Christmas presents for seven of Expedition 66’s astronauts.
The first-stage booster was launched on an ocean platform. This happened six years after Elon Musk’s first booster landing in 2015.
The Dragon capsule docked at ISS, and remained there for around a month.
For Christmas, the capsule was filled with gifts from family members, including smoked fish and turkeys, green beans, fruitcake and other holiday treats.
SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company delivers supplies to the ISS. The new Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center on December 31st for a cargo replenishment mission.
Although the US supplies power and life support to the ISS side, Russia propulsions the station and keeps it within its orbit at over 250 miles from the Earth.
The station does this using a docked Progress spacecraft that periodically gives it an altitude boost and stops it from falling to Earth.
Rogozin raised the possibility of withdrawing from the partnership after US sanctions in February. He warned that the Progress spacecraft was required to return the 400-ton structure to Earth.
Kathy Lueders (head of agency’s human orbitflight program) stated that in March it would be a’very difficult’ task to manage the ISS with Russia.
She stated that it would have been very difficult to operate on our own. ISS was an international partnership, which she explained “with joint dependencies.”
“As a group, we’re looking to see where we might have operational flexibility, but… It would be sad for international operations, if we couldn’t peacefully continue operating in space,” she said.
The ISS, a symbol for post Cold War peace, has been continually inhabited since more than 21 year and has survived past geopolitical storms such as Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea. Space was not subject to sanctions.
EXPLAINED – THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACES STATION SLITS 250 MILES AROUND THE EARTH
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
Since November 2000, it has been permanently manned by rotating teams of astronauts and cosmos.
Crews have mostly come from Russia and America, though the Japanese space agency JAXA has also sent astronauts.
Since its inception, the International Space Station (ISS) has been continuously occupied by astronauts for over 20 years. It has seen numerous upgrades and new modules.
Research conducted aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low-gravity or oxygen.
ISS studies have investigated 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 remaining funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.
So far 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the station, and among them eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit.
A debate continues about what will happen to the station after 2025. Some of its original structures may eventually die.
Russia, which is an important partner for the station’s construction, will launch its orbital platform in that same period. Axiom space, a private business, will send its modules directly to the station.
NASA, ESA (JAXA), JAXA, Canada Space Agency, (CSA), and Russia are working together on a space station to orbit the moon. Russia, China, and Russia are also working on a similar project that could include a base for the surface.