Each country involved is important for the continuity of cooperation on the ISS.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MOSCOW – Federal Space Agency Russia Roscosmos will stop working with the American Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other western space agencies on the International Space Station (ISS). Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin condemned international sanctions against Russia.

On Saturday (2/4/2022), he said normal cooperation between the space agency and its western counterparts could resume once the sanctions were lifted. “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. Obviously they won’t succeed, but the intention is clear,” Rogozin said.

In a tweet, he said that he believed the restoration of normal relations between partners at the ISS and other projects was only possible with the full and unconditional removal of illegal sanctions. Rogozin said Roscosmos would submit a proposal to end its work with NASA and other international space agencies to Russian authorities.

It is not clear how the decision will affect the ISS as the ISS is not owned by a single country. America, European Union (EU), Russia, Canada and Japan operate the stations through cooperation agreements between countries. Every country that enters into the cooperation agreement is considered important for the sustainability of the ISS, including Russia because the Russian Orbital Segment handles guidance control for all stations.

Reported EngadgetMonday (4/4/2022), America and many other countries imposed tough sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The sanctions deprived the average Russian of access to many western-made services, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

They also make it difficult for Russian businesses to monetize their earnings from online marketplace platforms like Steam. The ISS is not the first joint space program to be in limbo due to rising tensions between the West and Russia.

In March, Roscosmos said it would not transport OneWeb’s internet satellite into space until the British government sold its stake in the company. That same month, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced it was suspending the ExoMars mission along with Roscosmos.