The International Space Station, which works mainly thanks to the collaboration between the United States and Russiais not affected at the moment by the extreme tensions between the two countries after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NASA said on Monday.
Despite everything, the US space agency announced that it seeks solutions that would keep it in orbit without the help of Russia.
“We operate peacefully in space at this time”, stated NASA Associate Administrator Kathy Lueders.
“We have no indication, at the operational level, that our counterparts are not committed to continuing ongoing operations in the International Space Station” (ISS), he stressed, in response to a question at a press conference.
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The American and Russian teams “they are still talking to each other”, “they are still working together” and “they operate exactly as they did three weeks ago”, he added.
However, the NASA “assesses the situation”. Russia is essential for the proper functioning of the ISS, since your propulsion systemwhich allows orbit corrections, depends on Russian ships.
“We’re looking at how we could add other capabilities,” acknowledged Kathy Lueders, who cited negotiations with Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, whose ships are already going to the ISS. “Currently it would be very difficult for us to operate alone.”
Last week, in a series of incendiary tweets, the director of the Russian space agency, Dmitri Rogozin, accused Washington of wanting to “destroy” cooperation around the Station.
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Without Russia “who will save the ISS from an uncontrolled exit from orbit and from falling on the United States or Europe?”, he asked threateningly.
SpaceX boss Elon Musk responded to this tweet by posting an image displaying your company logo.
Behind the imposition of European sanctions on Russia, the Russian space agency Roscosmos reacted this weekend by announcing the suspension of its launches from the Kurú space base, in French Guiana. (I)
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Source: Eluniverso
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