Despite the Russian attack on Ukraine: In space, Russia and the US continue to work together. But the situation is tense – also among those responsible in Europe.
The war in Ukraine is testing further cooperation between Russia and the United States in space. After the Russian attack, the US space agency Nasa wants to continue to monitor the situation.
“At the moment our operations are running normally,” said Kathy Lueders, head of NASA’s manned space program, at a press conference on Monday. Possible “operational flexibilities” are also being looked at. But Lueders also emphasized: “It would be a sad day for international operations if we could not continue to work together in space.” The United States and Russia cooperate in the maintenance of the International Space Station ISS and in flights there.
The teams from both countries are in constant contact and NASA is currently getting all the support it needs from Russia. “We don’t get any indications from our counterpart that they don’t want to continue operations,” said Lueders.
On the outposts of humanity
The German astronaut Matthias Maurer is currently working with four Americans and two Russians on the outpost of mankind. At the end of March, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is scheduled to return to Earth in a Russian Soyuz capsule. This plan will be adhered to for the time being, said Nasa manager Lueders.
A question and answer session with Maurer on the ISS was canceled on Tuesday by the European Space Agency Esa because of the Ukraine war. Details of the cancellation were not initially given. It was to be expected that the Russian attack on Ukraine would also have become an issue during the switch with journalists planned for Thursday.
In the face of unprecedented Western sanctions, Russia’s space agency Roskosmos has questioned the longer-term future of the ISS. “We are skeptical about the question of extending the agreement under the current conditions.” So far, Roskosmos has only been permitted to operate the station until 2024. Then the contract between the international partners expires. NASA had already approved an operational period until 2030.
Difficult decisions
ESA, meanwhile, is assessing the impact of sanctions on Russia on its own cooperation with the country. Many difficult decisions are currently being made at Esa, General Director Josef Aschbacher wrote on Twitter on Monday. The European-Russian space project “Exomars” to search for traces of life on the red planet could be particularly affected. Esa announced that a launch this year was very unlikely due to the general environment and the sanctions.
In response to EU sanctions, Russia’s space agency Roskosmos had previously announced that it would suspend cooperation on space launches in Kourou, French Guiana. On the other hand, Roskosmos had emphasized the will to continue cooperation with the USA in the current situation – especially with regard to the operation of the International Space Station ISS and flights there.
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.
–
