'ISS can crash on USA, China even on India': Russia warns US against sanctions on space cooperation

Moscow, Feb 16: Soon after the United States imposed a bunch of sanctions over Russia, the head of Russia's space agency has threatened that the new U.S. sanctions have the potential "to destroy our cooperation" on the International Space Station. It is worth to be noted that, Russia is a key collaborator in the station along with USA's NASA and the European Space Agency.

 

 

This came after US President Joe Biden in his February 24 speech claimed that these sanctions will degrade the space industry of Russia including their space program as he aims to cut off Russia's access to cutting technology. Responding to it, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency, took to Twitter and questioned if the United States wants to block the Russian cooperation on the ISS.

 

In a tweet, Roscosmos Director-General Dimitry Rogozin said, "If you block cooperation with us who will save the ISS from an uncontrolled deorbit and from falling into the United States and Europe."

 

 

 

Adding more to it, he also said that there is another chance of dropping a 500-tonne structure on India or China and asked, "Do you want to threaten them with such a prospect? The ISS does not fly over Russia, so all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?"

 

The ISS was launched in 1998 with the cooperation of the USA, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe. Russia’s ROSCOSMOS and NASA mostly control it, through cooperation. Currently, there are 7 astronauts on board, 2 Russian, 4 from NASA, and one from Europe. The ISS depends on the Russians for propulsion and manoeuvre, while the ‘power’ segment is provided by the USA.

 

Responding to this, the American space agency NASA refuted such speculations and said that the sanctions would not affect the cooperation between both countries.

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