International Space Station could crash over the West, warn Russians

Head of Roscosmos agency says that ‘illegal’ sanctions could lead to critical malfunction in the ISS

‘I was just enraged that Roscosmos said they were going to leave an American crew member behind’

SANCTIONS over the Ukraine invasion could result in the International Space Station crashing down on Western countries “led by the dogs of war”, Russian officials have warned.

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos space agency, said yesterday that “illegal” punitive economic measures against Moscow may lead to a malfunction in the Russian part of the ISS, which plays a crucial role by helping correct the station’s orbit.

If that happens, the entire 500-ton structure could “fall into the sea or onto land”, and it would be unlikely to hit Russia, he posted on Telegram.

“The populations of other countries, especially those led by the ‘dogs of war’, should think about the price of the sanctions against Roscosmos,” he said.

His post was accompanied by a map that he claimed was created by the US, which showed the possible crash zone covering a large area of the centre of the world, including the US, most of Europe and all of the southern hemisphere. The UK was just outside.

“The price of international space cooperation maniacally destroyed by the West. Crazy,” he added.

Experts believe that even if the Russian module stopped working, it could take years for the ISS to de-orbit. It is also unlikely Russia would take action while its cosmonauts are there.

The ISS is currently manned by a Russian, American, and German crew, but tensions are mounting between Moscow and its space allies, with several important missions now hanging in the balance because of the conflict.

Earlier this week, Roscosmos created a mocked-up video showing cosmonauts saying goodbye to US astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and detaching the

Russian segment from the ISS. The film is provocative because Mr Vande Hei is scheduled to return to Earth with two cosmonauts in a Russian Soyuz capsule on Mar 30, leading to fears that they are planning to leave him behind.

Mr Rogozin also shared a video showing UK and US flags being removed from a Soyuz rocket, while technicians were seen taping the “Z” invasion sign to launch equipment.

It led to a public Twitter spat in which Scott Kelly, a veteran US astronaut, suggested that without international cooperation, Roscosmos would not exist.

“I never thought I’d hear anything so outrageous,” Mr Kelly later told ABC News. “I was just enraged that Roscosmos said they were going to leave an American crew member behind.”

Mr Rogozin responded by calling Mr Kelly a “moron” and warned that if Russia withdrew from the programme the station could crash over Europe or the US. He told Mr Kelly that “the death of the ISS will be on your conscience”.

While the US is responsible for powering the ISS, it is Russian computers that keep it in orbit, and after sanctions were announced in February, Mr Rogozin threatened to drop the space station on India and China.

“The ISS does not fly over Russia, so all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?” he said.

Mr Kelly has since pledged to return a medal, “For the Exploration of Space”, given to him by the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, and suggested it be given to the mother of a Russian soldier killed in Ukraine.

A spokesman for Nasa said the agency was continuing to work “with all our international partners, including State Space Corporation Roscosmos”, and said Mr Vande Hei was still expected to return with cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov later this month. However, it is understood that Russia has banned international astronauts travelling with them to the space station, meaning they will now need to use SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. It is unclear if this will also apply to return trips.

Roscosmos is slated to launch three cosmonauts to the ISS on Mar 18, but has said it will no longer work with global partners to conduct scientific research on board. The space agency has also said it is likely to pull out of the programme in 2024, scuppering hopes that the ISS could continue until 2030.

Russia has also halted cooperation with Europe after sanctions were imposed. Roscosmos is also refusing to launch the constellation of One Web satellites – partly owned by Britain – unless the UK Government withdraws from the programme.