The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, has responded to Russia’s threat to deorbit the International Space Station, stating his company will intervene before that happens.
Elon Musk has stated that SpaceX will rescue the International Space Station if Russia attempts to deorbit it as a result of threats made by Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff for space exploration.
According to The Sun, Russian Minister of Defense Dimitry Rogozin has warned that Russian technology and knowledge will be required to prevent the International Space Station (ISS) from falling into the United States or Europe.
“If you refuse to cooperate with us, who will save the International Space Station (ISS) from an uncontrolled deorbit and a collision with the United States and Europe?”
Following President Joe Biden’s declaration of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Rogozin took to Twitter on Friday.
Musk, on the other hand, responded to Rogozin’s warning by displaying the SpaceX emblem.
When a Twitter user inquired as to whether this meant that SpaceX will prevent the International Space Station from crashing onto the planet, Musk responded affirmatively: “Yes.”
A tweet from SpaceX depicted the International Space Station without the Russian component and with a SpaceX Dragon attached in its place.
Musk commented on the post, saying, “Good thread.”
Russia is an important member of the 15-nation alliance that has kept the International Space Station orbiting the Earth for 23 years, but relations between the two countries have reached an all-time low as a result of Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.
On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden announced additional sanctions against Russia, claiming that they would “degrade” the country’s “aerospace industry, including their space program.”
Director General Rogozin of Roscosmos then issued a warning that Russian engines are in control of the station’s orbit and position.
According to Rogozin, “there is also the chance of a 500-ton structure crashing on India and China.”
“Do you really want to threaten them with something like that?”
“Because the International Space Station does not fly over Russia, all dangers are your responsibility. “Are you prepared to face them?”
According to the Russian space agency’s chief, the words are an escalation from remarks made just a few days earlier, when he tweeted that Russia “values” its cooperation with NASA and would “make every effort to continue as before,” despite “disagreements” between the two countries.
According to reports in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was pressed on the issue on Thursday, telling MPs: “Until now, I have generally supported the continuation of artistic and scientific collaboration, but in the current circumstances, it is difficult to see how even those can continue as usual.”
NASA, on the other hand, has attempted to defuse concerns by claiming that sanctions will have no impact on ISS operations.
A NASA representative noted that the agency is continuing to collaborate with all of its international partners, including the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos, to ensure that the International Space Station’s operations are safe at all times.
“The new export control rules will continue to allow for civil space cooperation between the United States and Russia.”
“There are no plans to change the agency’s support for existing in-orbit and ground station operations,” the agency said.
As a result, NASA has been attempting to minimize its dependency on Russian spacecraft in order to carry personnel to the International Space Station by contracting with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build the rockets.
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