Russia Suspends ISS Cooperation Over 'Illegal Sanctions'; Roscosmos Head Dmitry Rogozin Shares Condition to Restore Normal Relation

For the second time, Russia has threatened to stop cooperating with other countries on the International Space Station (ISS) until sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine are eased.

Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said in a series of Twitter posts (per Reuters) that the sanctions' goal is to "kill Russian economy and plunge our people into despair and hunger, to get [the] country on its knees."

He also stated in his tweet that Roscosmos will only cooperate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) or restore their partnership when the "illegal sanctions" will be entirely and unconditionally lifted.

Russia Temporarily Halts ISS Cooperation

According to Business Insider, Roscomos will discontinue its collaboration with the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency.

Before announcing this decision, Roscosmos' chief wrote to its space partners, requesting that the sanctions on Russia be lifted.

Although NASA and other Roscosmos partners met Rogozin's demand, they did not include the removal of restrictions on Russia's rocket engine shipments.

The limits, Dimitry added, have an impact on his country's rocket and space industries.

The Russian space agency official went on to say that the sanctions imposed by the US and other nations are making Russia despondent because they are affecting the Russian economy.

Will ISS Work Normally?

Rogozin also shared images of letters from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency reassuring him that the countries will continue to work on the ISS.

Roscosmos, NASA, and the space agencies of Japan, Canada, and the European Union collaborated on the ISS. One-half of the station is run by Russia, while the other partners run the rest.

The Russian-controlled modules are required to participate in reboost maneuvers that keep the ISS in orbit.

Rogozin's latest tweets do not necessarily indicate that the ISS program is in jeopardy. According to Space.com, the Russian space commander is a bombastic personality who has made exaggerated claims.

According to Science Times, Rogozin has initially threatened to leave the ISS, which cost over $150 billion and weighs about 500 tons, to fall to Earth in an "unguided de-orbit" since the invasion began.

"The ISS doesn't fly over Russia, so all the risk is yours," Rogozin tweeted on Feb. 24, the day the invasion began.

Since then, though, it's been more or less business onboard the orbiting lab.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei even returned to Earth on Mar. 30 on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft with two cosmonauts after Rogozin "threatened" to leave American astronauts on board. Despite the increased global tensions, the landing went off without a hitch.

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.