(New: 4th paragraph, 4th sentence supplemented by further Aschbacher statements)
MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) – After the attack on Ukraine, Russia emphasized its willingness to continue cooperation with the United States in space – and at the same time warned the United States against a possible hasty termination of this cooperation. Cooperation is necessary for the safe operation of the International Space Station (ISS), wrote the head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, on Thursday in the Telegram news channel against the background of new sanctions from Washington.
If the Americans refuse further cooperation, “who will protect the ISS from a possible uncontrolled deorbit and crash into American or European territory?” It cannot be ruled out that the remains of the ISS could fall on India or China.
According to the Tass agency, Roskosmos had previously announced that it wanted to fulfill international obligations in space. This included the maintenance of the ISS and flights there. The German astronaut Matthias Maurer is currently working with four Americans and two Russians on the outpost of humanity. At the end of March, Nasa astronaut Mark Vande Hei is scheduled to return to Earth in a Russian Soyuz capsule.
Despite the attack on Ukraine, the European space agency Esa wants to continue working on projects in cooperation with Russia for the time being. “Regardless of the current conflict, cooperation in civil space travel remains a bridge,” wrote ESA boss Josef Aschbacher on Twitter on Friday. Work will continue on all programs, including the International Space Station (ISS) and the Exomars project. According to Aschbacher, current developments will continue to be monitored and any necessary decisions will be made together with the ESA member states.
NASA is also continuing to work with Roskosmos and all international partners with regard to the ISS, according to a statement from the US space agency Nasa. “No changes are planned in support of ongoing work in space and on the ground.”
Roscosmos responded with satisfaction. “As diplomats say, our concerns have been heard,” Rogozin said on Friday. The agency chief announced: “In the meantime, we continue to analyze the new US sanctions in order to detail our response.”
Several Nasa managers informed journalists on Thursday about the current status of the planned Artemis moon program, but did not want to answer any further questions about the Ukraine conflict.
Despite many conflicts between Moscow and Washington, space travel has always been considered one of the few areas where cooperation between the two countries has worked. At the turn of the year, NASA agreed that the ISS would continue to operate until 2030. Roskosmos now wanted to propose a corresponding extension to the government in Moscow.
Europe’s former space chief Jan Wrner had previously said he hoped that cooperation between Russia and the West in space exploration would continue, despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I hope that space travel will ultimately be above the geopolitical difficulties. During the Cold War, for example, there was also the docking of an Apollo and a Soyuz spacecraft in 1975,” Wrner told the German Press Agency. The 67-year-old headed the European Space Agency ESA in Paris from 2015 to February 2021.
Wrner spoke out in favor of extending the operation of the International Space Station ISS. “The ISS is a peace project. In the midst of the tensions surrounding the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, the German astronaut Gerst was in space with a Russian and a US colleague. That was more than symbolic. Space travel can be a bridge between nations,” said the current President of the German Academy of Science and Engineering./cht/cah/rbo/DP/ngu