The war that has been going on since February 24 in Ukraine, following Russia’s invasion of that country, might also affect scientific development in space, as reported by the director of the Russian Space Agency, known as Roscosmos, Dimitri Rogozin.
According to the expert, the International Space Station (ISS) might not only suffer a diplomatic decline inside, but also, if the economic blockades imposed on Russia are not lifted, this incredible infrastructure that orbits the Earth might go off course and crash into either the United States or Europe.
“If the United States blocks cooperation with us, who will save the ISS (International Space Station) from an uncontrolled descent out of orbit and a fall on the US or Europe?” Rogozin said in several messages he shared by Telegram, one of the most used apps by the Russian allies during the conflict.
“There is also the possibility that a 500-tonne structure might fall on India and China. Do you want to threaten them with that possibility? The ISS does not fly over Russia, so all risks are yours. Are you prepared for them?”, he added.
This warning comes following a new announcement by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, who assured that the sanctions imposed on Russia will also “degrade its aerospace industry, including its space program.”
It should be remembered that the ISS, led by the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe and Russia, has two major divisions: one American and one Russian. In the case of the first, this is in charge of keeping the electrical and life support systems up to date within the station, while the Russian section is responsible for controlling the propulsion system that maintains its orbit. For this reason, for Rogozin it is important to take into account that, in the face of blockades, it is most likely that Russia will not be able to keep the ISS afloat.
A space war?
The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, is a main partner of the International Space Station, where its cosmonauts have their own segment. Soyuz spacecraft and Progress freighters regularly travel to the orbiting complex.
However, beyond what Rogozin said, it seems that at the moment there are no intentions to break international cooperation on the space stationas confirmed by several space science actors in the last few hours.
“NASA continues to work with the Roscosmos State Space Corporation (Roscosmos) and our other international partners in Canada, Europe, and Japan to maintain safe and continued operations of the International Space Station,” NASA spokesman Dan Huot told Space. .com in an email.
For his part, Rogozin assured, through a statement in Russian on Twitter regarding the relationship between the two agencies that, although the risk of falling is great “values professional relationships with NASA.”
Taking this into account, it is reasonable for aerospace experts and diplomats to say that the international tension over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the economic punishment measures decided by the West in response do not affect collaboration in space at the moment.
It is important to remember that currently the commander of Expedition 66 on the Space Station is precisely the Russian Anton Shkaplerov, until March 30, 2022, when it will return to Earth following almost a year in orbit. The other Russian in Expedition 66, made up of seven crew members, is Pyotr Dubrov.
With information from Europe Press.
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