Russia To Leave ISS, If Western Countries Don't Lift Sanctions Immediately

JAKARTA - The Russian Space Agency or Roscosmos said it would stop working with NASA and other western space agencies such as the ESA on the International Space Station (ISS).

The statement was made by Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin recently, referring to international sanctions against Russia. He said cooperation between other state space agencies would only resume after 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 on his official account.

"That is why I believe that the restoration of normal relations between partners on the ISS and other projects is possible only with the complete and unconditional removal of illegal sanctions."

With this cooperation ending, Roscosmos will soon submit a proposal to end its work with NASA and other international space agencies to Russian authorities.

It is not known exactly how the decision will affect the space station. But the role of Roscosmos, however, is very important for the ISS. Where the Russian Orbital segment handles guidance control for the entire ISS operation.

Cited from Engadget, Monday, April 4, for the record, the ISS is not owned by a single country. The US, European Union, Russia, Canada, and Japan operate the stations through international cooperation agreements.

Previously, the US and many other countries imposed tough sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. As a result, the sanctions deprived the average Russian of access to many Western-made services, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

However, the ISS is not the first joint space program to see its future in limbo due to rising tensions between the West and Russia.

In March, Roscosmos said it would not transport the One Web internet satellite into space until the British government sold its stake in the company. That same month, ESA announced that it was also suspending its joint mission ExoMars with Roscosmos.