Russia’s Roscosmos will cease cooperation with NASA and other Western space agencies on the International Space Station. Early on Saturday morning, the director of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, lowered international sanctions against Russia and said normal cooperation between the space agency and its Western partners would only be possible. after they are removed.
“The purpose of the sanctions is to kill the Russian economy, plunge our people into despair and hunger, and bring our country to its knees. It was clear that they would not succeed, but the intention was clear. “Rogozin” in a tweet spotted by . “That is why I believe that the restoration of normal relations between the partners at the International Space Station and other projects can only be done with the complete and unconditional removal of all measures. illegal sanctions.”
Rogozin said that Roscosmos will submit proposals on terminating cooperation with NASA and other international space agencies to the Russian authorities. It is unclear how the decision will affect the space station. The ISS is not owned by any country. The United States, the European Union, Russia, Canada and Japan operate the station through a cooperation agreement between the countries. However, Roscosmos is very important to the ISS. The Russian orbital segment handles the guidance control for the entire station.
The United States and many other countries have imposed harsh sanctions on Russia after the February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Among other effects, those sanctions have caused the average Russian to lose access to many Western-made services, including . They also make it difficult for Russian businesses to make money from online marketplace platforms like .
The ISS is not the first joint space program to see its future thrown into turmoil due to rising tensions between the West and Russia. In March, Roscosmos said they would not ship into space until the British government sold its stake in the company. That same month, the European Space Agency announced it would suspend its cooperation quest with Roscosmos.
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