Russia's space agency warned that its cooperation in the International Space Station could be "destroyed" by the sanctions of the United States against the largest country in the world.
The head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, attends a report ceremony for the crew of Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, his assistant Yozo Hirano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin ahead of the launch at the Baikonur cosmodrome on December 8, 2021.
Russia's Space Agency Warns Against US Sanctions
As per a news story by CNN, the International Space Station or the ISS currently houses astronauts from various space agencies across the globe, including four astronauts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, one from Europe, and two Russian cosmonauts.
However, with the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the director-general of the space agency of Russia, the Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, tweets against the recent sanctions announced by the United States president Joe Biden.
The Twitter post of the Roscosmos head said that the US sanctions "will degrade" both the space program and the aerospace industry of the Russian nation.
Russia's Space Agency and ISS Engines
The director of the Russian space agency reminded them that they control the engines of the orbiting space station.
CNN noted in the same report that the ISS has two sections, namely the US Orbital Segment and the Russian Orbital Segment.
In this handout provided by NASA, Backdropped by a blue and white Earth, Space Shuttle Discovery approaches the International Space Station during STS-120 rendezvous and docking operations October 25, 2007. Docking occurred at 7:40 a.m. (CDT) on Oct. 25, 2007. The Harmony node is visible in Discovery's cargo bay.
A former astronaut of NASA, Garrett Reisman, told the news outlet that the Russian part of the space station could not function without the side of the US.
It turns out that although the propulsion engine systems are on the side of Russia, the electricity is on the segment of the US.
As such, Reisman added that both parties "can't do an amicable divorce," noting that a "conscious uncoupling" is impossible.
Russia's Cooperation on ISS
That said, the director-general of Roscosmos warned the US that "if you block cooperation with us, who will save the International Space Station from an uncontrolled deorbit".
Rogozin further claimed that the ISS could fall into the US or Europe. What's more, he added that "there is also a possibility of a 500-ton structure falling on India and China."
Therefore, the Roscosmos head warned that the recent US sanctions could "destroy" the cooperation of the Russian space agency on the ISS.
However, according to a report by CTV News, the operations in the space station remain unaffected by the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, says the director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, Scott Pace.
A spokesperson from NASA said that the US agency is currently working with its international space partners, such as the Roscosmos, for the continued safe operation of the ISS.
Aside from the US and Russia, the collaboration on the ISS also includes other territories, such as Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency.
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Written by Teejay Boris
