The Russian Ukrainian war triggered the "space cold war". Where are the seven astronauts of the international space station
2022-02-28
The escalation of European and American sanctions against Russia is affecting international cooperation in the field of aerospace, involving a number of rocket launch projects in Europe, but the cooperation of the international space station will not be affected for the time being. On February 26 local time, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced that it would stop all Soyuz rockets launched from the European Space Port in French Guiana (kuru). Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency, said in a statement on social media on the same day: "in response to EU sanctions on our enterprises, Roscosmos will suspend cooperation with European partners in organizing space launches at the kuru space launch site and withdraw our personnel, including joint launchers, from French Guiana." US President Biden previously said that the new sanctions against Russia will crack down on Russia's aerospace industry, including spacecraft manufacturing and other space projects. Biden said that the sanctions measures taken by the United States and its allies will limit half of Russia's high-tech product imports, which will seriously affect "the possibility of modernization of Russia's military industry". However, a NASA spokesman clarified that NASA continued to cooperate with Russia on the activities of the international space station and did not believe that the new US sanctions would affect this partnership. He said that the new US sanctions in the field of export control will not affect the cooperation between Russia and the United States in the field of civil aviation and aerospace. Europe seeks "rocket freedom" As a major Aerospace country, Russia has maintained long-term and important cooperation with the United States and the European Union. These cooperation involve both the maintenance of the operation of the international space station and rocket launch projects. Russia's Soyuz rocket has repeatedly helped European Space Launch company Arianespace and NASA complete launch missions. According to Roscosmos's second statement, Russia also recalled 87 Russian workers from the European South American spaceport in French Guiana. St é phane Israel, CEO of Ariane space, previously said in an interview with French television that the launch of Soyuz in Guyana would be guaranteed to last until the end of 2023. "After the expiration of the contract, we still hope to continue this partnership". Last year, Arianespace completed a total of 15 launch missions, more than 10 last year, of which 9 were launched by Soyuz Rockets: 8 from Russia and 1 from French Guiana. This year, the company plans to carry out 17 launch missions, nine using Soyuz: five from French Guiana and four from Russia. On February 10, the Soyuz rocket also carried 34 oneweb Internet satellites and launched from the French Guiana Space Center. Arianespace's next Soyuz launch was originally planned to launch two Galileo navigation satellites to the EU's Galileo System in early April. However, the mission will almost certainly be postponed due to Russia's announcement on Saturday to stop launching from Guyana. The EU's latest response said that Russia's decision will not interrupt the EU's services for users of Galileo satellite or EU Copernicus earth observation satellite. At the same time, the EU is seeking autonomy in space launch. Arianespace also used Europe's Ariane 5 heavy rocket and Vega rocket for small launches from French Guiana. Thierry Breton, EU space Commissioner, said: "EU member states are ready to take decisive action. On the one hand, they will ensure that these key infrastructure will not be attacked. On the other hand, they will continue to develop Ariane 6 rocket and Vega C rocket to ensure Europe's Strategic Autonomy in the field of rocket launch." Ariana 6 rocket is the successor of Ariana 5 rocket and is expected to launch for the first time later this year. Vega C rocket is a follow-up product of Vega rocket. It will be able to reach more orbits and carry more different payloads at the same cost. In addition to the rocket launch mission, the EU originally cooperated closely with Russia in the space program. The European Rover Mars probe ExoMars, which will be launched later this year, is developed by Russia's lavochkin scientific production consortium, a subsidiary of Russia's aerospace group. The Mars probe was originally planned to be launched in 2020 and later changed to 2022. With the EU sanctions against Russia, it is unclear what impact it will have on ExoMars's launch plan. "European space officials are closely following the situation in Ukraine and weighing any action taken," Josef aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), said in a statement In addition, according to Rogozin's earlier remarks, the cooperation of the orbital observatory project "spectrum roentgen gamma" spektr RG (SRG) jointly launched by Russia and Germany will also be stranded. Professor Dietrich Baade, an honorary astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), told China business: "scientists may still continue to cooperate, but the position of funding agencies may be affected." Bard took the scientific cooperation of the erosita X-ray telescope of the SRG mission as an example. From the beginning, the project divided the specific data ownership into German data and Russian data, and both countries were reducing the data, while the data acquisition and spacecraft control were in Russia. Russia's withdrawal will push up the cost of the space station After the sanctions were imposed, more attention was paid to the space cooperation plan between Russia and the United States, which involves both the international space station mission and the joint exploration mission of extraterrestrial life. Rogozin had also warned that the international space station (ISS) might collapse due to European and American sanctions against Russia. "If you stop working with us, who will save the 500 ton international space station from getting out of control, derailing and falling into earth?" he wrote on social media However, experts said that although the basic orbit adjustment of the International Space Station depends on the engine of Russia's Progress cargo spacecraft, it is unlikely to be out of orbit. During the entire flight of the international space station, a total of 316 orbital altitude corrections were made, of which 167 were powered by the engine of the Progress cargo spacecraft. The next revision of the ISS orbit is expected to take place on March 11, 2022. Rogozin said that in view of the ongoing sanctions, he no longer believes that Russia US alliance is necessary. "It is not appropriate for the United States to continue to participate in the planned Venus exploration mission 'venera-d' in Russia," he wrote in a statement In 2017, NASA scientists began to contact Russia to participate in the venera-d mission. The mission plans to launch at least three probes to Venus by 2030. Rogozin said that Russia will carry out the Venus exploration mission alone or together with China. Rogozin said he had issued instructions on the 25th and would hold talks with China on mutual technical assistance for all space research missions. "Obviously, Russia will definitely reduce its participation in the international space station project in the future; with the expansion of China's space program, Russia has begun to seek cooperation with China," Zhang Shuangnan, a consultant of China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSA), told China business The Russian space agency has repeatedly encountered sanctions. In June last year, Rogozin said that if the United States did not lift the sanctions on Russia's "progress" Rocket Space Center and Russia's Central Machinery Manufacturing Research Institute, Russia would withdraw from the international space station cooperation project in 2025 and build its own space station. The international space station project, jointly built, operated and used by 16 countries, is the largest, longest and most involved international space cooperation project in history. Since the official establishment of the station in 1998, the construction task was completed in 2010 and turned into the full use stage. It is mainly operated by NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. In the cooperation project of the international space station, the United States and Russia have maintained close technical cooperation for a long time. According to the original plan, the next launch of Soyuz MS-2 manned spacecraft will be carried out at 23:55 Beijing time on March 18. It will carry Russian astronauts Anton shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, as well as NASA astronaut mark Vande Hei. It is uncertain whether the launch will be affected. However, Russia has adjusted the orbit of the international space station for the launch on February 26 to meet the launch of the manned mission. NASA said it would continue to work with all international partners, including the Russian Federal Space Agency, to ensure the continued safe operation of the international space station. At present, there are seven astronauts on the international space station, including four Americans, one German and two Russians. Jeff Manber, President of Voyager space, a NASA supplier, said: "if Russia does not participate in the international space station program, the operating cost of the international space station will be very high, possibly tens of billions of dollars." Bard predicted that in the future, Russia may continue to maintain equal primary partnership with the United States, Europe and Japan in the cooperation project of the international space station. But he also believes that manned space launch missions should be replaced by robots. Bard believes that the international space station project can involve more enterprises. "If commercial enterprises see profit space, they should take over the space station." "The cost-benefit ratio of the manned space station will continue to be high, making it easier and cheaper for robots to survive in space than humans," he told China business news NASA has begun to deepen its plans to work with private enterprises to build the future international space station. NASA expects to save more than $1 billion a year by seeking cooperation with private companies to build private space stations in earth orbit. (Xinhua News Agency)
Edit：Li Ling Responsible editor：Chen Jie
Source：YICAI
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