Russia's space agency warns US sanctions could 'destroy' cooperation on the International Space Station

[Somerville]

Nice threat from the head of Roscosmos, the Russian agency that controls the International Space Station.

Russia's space agency warns US sanctions could 'destroy' cooperation on the International Space Station

After President Joe Biden announced new sanctions Thursday that "will degrade their (Russia's) aerospace industry, including their space program," Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin said on Twitter that the station's orbit and location in space are controlled by Russian engines.

"If you block cooperation with us, who will save the International Space Station (ISS) from an uncontrolled deorbit and fall into the United States or...Europe?" Rogozin said. "There is also the possibility of a 500-ton structure falling on India and China. Do you want to threaten them with such a prospect? The ISS does not fly over Russia, therefore all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?"
[. . .]
NASA has not responded directly to Rogozin's remarks, but it notes that the US space agency "continues working with Roscosmos and our other international partners in Canada, Europe, and Japan to maintain safe and continuous ISS operations."

But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson explicitly questioned the future of the International Space Station while speaking on the floor of the House of Commons on Thursday.
"I've been broadly in favor of continuing artistic and scientific collaboration," Johnson said. "But in the current circumstances, it's hard to see how even those can continue as normal."

 

[Taylor]

Maybe they should talk to Putin about that.

 

[anatta]

Maybe they should talk to Putin about that.

we never talk. we only threaten

 

[beefheart]

Tough shit. Russia can detach the shitty modules of the ISS and go on their own (without the US solar panels that supply all the power)

And, we have SpaceX Dragon craft that can bring 5 astronauts at a time (compared to Russia's 60's technology 3 person capsule), and the European Space Agency and SpaceX and Northup Grummond also launch several re-supply missions.

 

[Ug make hammer]

Flying people to and from the ISS is a waste of money. Good riddance to it.

 

[yankintx]

Full sanctions will bite.

 

[Gatsby]

Nice threat from the head of Roscosmos, the Russian agency that controls the International Space Station.

I gotta say, Russia threatening to drop the ISS on America has to be one of the funniest threats a nation has ever issued against another.

A bit of background here: Roscosmos was teetering on the brink of insolvency even before the war and sanctions, thanks to this guy's massive incompetence. He is a giant crook even by Russian standards.

 

[HangLow]

​

 

[justoneman]

They are threatening not to take the American astronaut back to earth.

 

[Helix]

I hope that everyone can get home ok.

 

[Exquisitor]

There's not going to be anything left of Russia to have a space program.

 

[iguanaman]

Nice threat from the head of Roscosmos, the Russian agency that controls the International Space Station.

We don't need their stinking rockets anymore. They already have cut back since we no longer pay them millions for rides.

 

[Ug make hammer]

We don't need their stinking rockets anymore. They already have cut back since we no longer pay them millions for rides.

For a while they were the cheapest, but the Chinese systems undercut them for non-human cargo (no-one who isn't Chinese will fly on a Long March). The Russian systems were very mature, which is good for safety and reducing R&D costs, however bad in that the fuel the Russians use is expensive. And they're simply unable to cope when an entirely new system like SpaceX comes along, with modern design providing both safety and low price.

We'll see if Russia can build a next generation, but my feeling is that SpaceX have too great a lead on them already.