In a major blow to the already detoriated bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington D.C., Russia’s deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, said Moscow would reject a US request to prolong the station’s use beyond 2020.
Not just this, the deputy P.M. also said that Russia will ban Washington from using Russian-made rocket engines to launch military satellites. Russia’s move is in response to Washington’s plans to deny export licences for hi-tech items that could help the Russian military.
Lashing out at U.S. for politicising everything, Rogozin said
We are very concerned about continuing to develop hi-tech projects with such an unreliable partner as the United States, which politicises everything.
This move could seriously hamper NASA’s future space research programmes because of the fact that NASA’s shuttle program was decomissioned in 2011 and it has relied on Russian spacecraft since then.
The U.S. pays a whopping $60 million per person to Russia, for taking its astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA wanted to extend the use of ISS till at least 2024.
Criticising the fresh U.S. sancions on export of hi-tech items to Russia, Rogozin said
These sanctions are out of place and inappropriate, We have enough of our own problems.
Russia is mainly hurt because of the fact that Moscow’s space programme is not in its best of health, and needed U.S. aid for further development. The ban on export of hi-tech items, further deprived Russia of a much needed repair of its space programmes.
