The head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Thursday, 24 February, that the stringent United States (US) sanctions imposed will not only destroy cooperation on the International Space Station but also endanger the safety of other nations if the ISS de-orbits and falls.
The ISS, about the length of a football field, is orbiting at around 400 km above Earth. The research platform is home to four American, two Russian, and a German astronaut who are working side-by-side in microgravity.
Roscosmos’ Director-General Dmitry Rogozin tweeted on Thursday,
“If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from an uncontrolled deorbit and fall into the United States or Europe?”
He said in another tweet, “There is also the option of dropping a 500-tonne structure to India or China. 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?"
'Limiting' Russia's Military Moves
US President Joe Biden had announced new curbs against Russia after Putin invaded Ukraine on Thursday. The new sanctions include blocking export of technology to "limit" Russia's ability to advance its military and aerospace sector.
However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a statement that the new sanctions won't endanger the space cooperation between the two countries.
The US space agency said,
"NASA continues working with all our international partners, including the State Space Corporation Roscosmos, for the ongoing safe operations of the International Space Station. The new export control measures will continue to allow US-Russia civil space cooperation. No changes are planned to the agency's support for ongoing in orbit and ground station operations."
Rogozin tweeted a news article about NASA's statement calling it "diplomatic," and said Russia is "analysing the new US sanctions before giving a detailed response."
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