Russia’s space chief delivered an ominous message to Western nations about the International Space Station crashing down to Earth.
Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin warned that Russian engines control the orbit and location of the space station as President Joe Biden and European leaders unveiled new sanctions in response to the invasion of Ukraine that he said would “degrade” Russia’s “aerospace industry,” according to The Sun.
“If you block cooperation with us, who will save the International Space Station from an uncontrolled de-orbit and fall into the United States or … Europe?” Rogozin said on social media Thursday. “There is also the possibility of a 500-ton structure falling on India and China. Do you want to threaten them with such a prospect?”
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The Russian space chief also said the space station does not fly over Russia, adding in a missive to the United States that “all the risks are yours” and asking if the country is “ready for them.”
NASA said it would continue “working with all our international partners, including the State Space Corporation Roscosmos, for the ongoing safe operations” on the space station, according to a statement reported by Space.com on Thursday. The agency also said no changes are planned on its “support for ongoing in orbit and ground station operations.”
As of Friday, Russian forces have reached Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and entered the city of Sumy, located near the border with Russia. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense called on those living in the northern outskirts of Kyiv to make incendiary bombs to keep enemy soldiers at bay.
Although Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced Friday that the alliance is “now deploying the NATO Response Force for the first time in a collective defense context.” The response force has as many as 40,000 troops, though Stoltenberg said the entire force would not be deployed at this time.
Taiwan condemned the Russian invasion Friday and declared that it would join U.S.-led sanctions against Russia. China, which has long desired to conquer Taiwan, sent mixed signals about its Kremlin ally and its own intentions.
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NASA has not yet responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment about the space station.
