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The International Space Station (ISS) is the result of international cooperation between Americans, Russians, Europeans, Japanese and Canadians. Descending little by little towards the Earth, the ISS is regularly raised thanks to the thrust of the Russian vessels which are docked there. Faced with the retaliatory measures taken against Russia, Dmitry Rogozin, the director general of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, had already published a tweet in which he threatened to no longer maintain the ISS in orbit: “If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from uncontrolled deorbiting and falling onto American or European territory? » However, two Russians are in the station, and they continue to work with their colleagues, four Americans and a German.

On Saturday, Mr. Rogozin called for the lifting of Western sanctions put in place against Russia, believing that they could cause the fall of the ISS. According to him, the operation of the Russian vessels supplying the ISS will be disrupted by the sanctions, accordingly affecting the Russian segment of the station, which serves, among other things, to correct the orbit of the orbital structure. This could cause “waterfall” or “landing” of the ISS, which weighs 500 tons.

On Thursday, United States President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russia in response to its military offensive in Ukraine. these “will damage their aerospace industry, including their space program, and harm their ability to build ships”, did he declare. The station’s orbit corrections do rely on the Russian spacecraft’s propulsion system. But the American segment also has essential vital functions. This interdependence was precisely designed to prevent “the skids due to the news”, explains to Agence France-Presse Julie Patarin-Jossec, author of an essay on the ISS and ex-teacher at the State University of Saint Petersburg. Moreover, Moscow has no interest in severing ties: “If Russia were to withdraw from the ISS, which is relatively impossible due to the legal framework of the program, it would mean that it would no longer have a manned space program”adds the sociologist.

For its part, NASA sought to smooth things over, declaring “continue to work with international partners”including the Russian space agency Roscosmos, “for the safety of current operations” from the ISS. “Despite the ongoing conflict, civil space cooperation remains a bridge”tweeted the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), which is also one of the international partners of the ISS, along with Japan and Canada.

The two Russians, the four Americans and the German currently in orbit in the station are most certainly aware of the current tensions, according to Julie Patarin-Jossec. But their training has taught them to remain pragmatic, and most are very attached to the international dimension of the program, she underlines.