Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin says sanctions imposed by the West are threatening to bring the International Space Station to a halt, but not because of Russia. It is the Russian space agency's job to keep the 500-ton International Space Station (ISS) on track.
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Dmitry Rogozin, the president of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, has warned the West of a possible ISS accident. Russian spacecraft that feed the ISS are being affected by sanctions placed on Russia, according to Rogozin in Telegram on Saturday. Due to this, Russia's station, which handles course adjustments, is affected the most. Consequently, it is possible that the 500-ton structure will be toppled over and "fell into or onto land."
It is the Russian segment's responsibility to guarantee that the station's orbit is adjusted (on average, 11 times a year) and to prevent space junk, says Rogozin. The 500-ton International Space Station (ISS) may collapse anywhere on the globe, according to a chart he released. Russia, on the other hand, seems to be a safe bet. It's important for other nations to consider the "cost of sanctions on Roscosmos," Rogozin said.
This was not the first time that Rogozin had used such alarming scenarios in his writings. Retired German astronaut Reinhold Ewald told SPIEGEL that he made a "totally unqualified assertion" about the Soviet Union's space station, "Mir." In addition, the International Space Station sails above Russian soil. The risk of a disaster, according to aerospace experts, is only there if the aircraft has not had a course adjustment in years.
Furthermore, Roskosmos and western agencies like ESA and NASA have said they would continue to work jointly to keep the ISS operational. In spite of this, US Vice President Joe Biden has declared further penalties on Russia's space exploration programme.
Astronaut Matthias Maurer from Germany is currently on board
There are few areas where Russia and the United States are still collaborating, and space is one of them. There are already plans to maintain the ISS in orbit without Russian assistance, according to Nasa.
Soyuz and Progress cargo spacecraft from Russia deliver people and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). US astronaut Mark Vande Hei, together with two Russian colleagues, will return from the ISS on March 30 onboard a Soyuz space vehicle to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. There is still German astronaut Matthias Maurer on board.
Rogozin claims that the United States, the European Union, and Canada have all imposed restrictions on the use of the launchers. As stated by Roscosmos, it has already made an appeal to NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
At the beginning of March, Russia had also announced that it was ending its collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). DLR's response to Russia's aggression on Ukraine was swift and harsh in its criticism of Moscow.