Russia Refuses to Work With NASA or ESA, Ends Cooperation With International Space Station

• Russia has announced that it would cease its cooperation on the International Space Station until the Western-led sanctions against Russia are lifted
• Since the sanctions were placed on Russia, following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Roscosmos has threatened to end its cooperation on the space station
• A timeline of projects that require completion has been handed to the Kremlin following the sudden announcement by Dmitry Rogozon, the head of the Russian space agency

MOSCOW - Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, their equivalent to America's NASA or the European Space Agency has announced that it will no longer co-operate with work on the International Space Station.

The agency announced that it would only consider working with the space station once the Western-led sanctions placed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine are lifted.

The Independent reported that the sudden announcement was made by Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency. A timetable of projects that require completion will be submitted to the Kremlin.

Since the sanctions were placed on Russia, Roscosmos has cancelled and delayed projects and made threats about ending cooperation.

Earlier, Rogozin has warned that if Roscosmos pulled out of the ISS programme then there would be a huge shortfall of funding. Eccentric billionaire Elon Musk said that SpaceEx would be happy to fill the void.

Russia is responsible for the propulsion systems that prevent the ISS from falling to earth, while the US is responsible for the life support systems that keep the astronauts alive.

Days earlier, Russian cosmonauts arrived at the space station dressed in suits coloured in the Ukraine flag which was interpreted as a criticism of the war in Ukraine according to the Daily Mail.

NASA insists space station unaffected by Russian war

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that NASA on Monday insisted tensions linked to the war in Ukraine had no impact on International Space Station operations or the planned return of an American astronaut aboard a Russian capsule later this month.

Mark Vande Hei is due to fly to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule with cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov on March 30 after 355 days in space, a new US record.

There have been fears that soaring tensions between the United States and Russia over Ukraine could leave the 55-year-old stranded on the outpost.

Russian, US ISS record-holders return to Earth

In similar news, a record-breaking US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station Wednesday, with tensions between Moscow and the West soaring over Ukraine.

"The crew of Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, as well as NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, has returned to Earth," Russia's space agency Roscosmos said in a statement.

Footage broadcast from the landing site in Kazakhstan showed the Soyuz descent module touching down at the expected time of 1128 GMT in bright conditions before the crew emerged from the vehicle that had blown onto its side.

Source: YEN.com.gh