The International Space Station (ISS) is maintained by both American and Russian crews. But Russia is now upset on USA over the Ukraine sanctions, and hence it plans to cut off the access of USA to the ISS.
NASA announced that it would cut off contact with Russia because of the Ukraine crisis, with the exception of ISS. At then, many critics said that the move was a ploy by NASA to get more funding from the US government. But NASA had no idea that such decision may backfire. Why?
Because NASA’s shuttle program was decommissioned in 2011. Since then, NASA have been sending its astronauts to ISS via Russian spacecraft. The US currently pays Russia $60 million per person to ferry its astronauts to the ISS. And NASA planned to continue this until 2024.
If NASA can cut off relationship with Russia because of the Ukraine crisis, then why can’t Russia do the same? And now it seems like Russia is walking on that path. Russia has decided to cut off the access of USA to the ISS after 2020 in retaliation for trade sanctions imposed over Russia’s aggressive annexation of Crimea.
Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has said, “”The Russian segment can exist independently from the American one. The US one cannot.” Rogozin has also said that Russia will also bar the US from buying Russian rocket engines that would be used to launch military satellites.
Now it’s time to be seen where the story ends. Stay with us.
Source: The Telegraph
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