Like the rest of the world, but perhaps in a less obvious manner, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is paying close attention to what is happening in Eastern Europe and Russia’s violent attack on Ukraine. Should the Russian space agency decide to take the conflict into space, SpaceX will be ready to respond.
Last week, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the military attack is ongoing as of the time of the press. NATO members responded to the military action with economic sanctions against the Russian government and expat oligarchs, with U.S. President Biden saying “additional strong sanctions” will “degrade [Russia’s] aerospace industry, including their space program.” Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, has chosen to respond with a not-so-veiled threat.
It comes via the agency’s chief Dmitry Rogozin, who is no stranger to making threats online about what Russia could do with the International Space Station (ISS) if they wanted. This time, Rogozin is threatening an uncontrolled deorbit and subsequent fall on Earth. In laymen's terms, Rogozin is saying on Twitter that the 500-ton structure could crash in Europe, India, China, or even the United States if further sanctions against Russia were brought up. “The ISS does not fly over Russia, so all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?” Rogozin writes.
In that case, Rogozin asks, who will “save” the ISS? Elon Musk responded to this with just one photo: the logo of the SpaceX agency. Just in case his message was not clear enough, he responded with “Yes” when a follower asked him if SpaceX would intervene in this dramatic scenario in which Russia would attempt to crash the ISS on purpose. He also responded with a “good thread” to the possible use of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to stabilize and control the ISS.
The Russian segment of the ISS provides guidance, navigation, and control of the entire space station, with Rogozin stressing how they’re responsible for keeping it from hitting space junk from U.S. “talented businessmen” – probably meaning Musk and the Starlink satellites. The Russians also provide regular boosts to the ISS so that it doesn’t sink too low into orbit.
In a statement to EuroNews, NASA says that, despite Rogozin’s online rant, it “continues working with Roscosmos and our other international partners in Canada, Europe, and Japan to maintain safe and continuous ISS operations.”
It comes via the agency’s chief Dmitry Rogozin, who is no stranger to making threats online about what Russia could do with the International Space Station (ISS) if they wanted. This time, Rogozin is threatening an uncontrolled deorbit and subsequent fall on Earth. In laymen's terms, Rogozin is saying on Twitter that the 500-ton structure could crash in Europe, India, China, or even the United States if further sanctions against Russia were brought up. “The ISS does not fly over Russia, so all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?” Rogozin writes.
In that case, Rogozin asks, who will “save” the ISS? Elon Musk responded to this with just one photo: the logo of the SpaceX agency. Just in case his message was not clear enough, he responded with “Yes” when a follower asked him if SpaceX would intervene in this dramatic scenario in which Russia would attempt to crash the ISS on purpose. He also responded with a “good thread” to the possible use of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to stabilize and control the ISS.
The Russian segment of the ISS provides guidance, navigation, and control of the entire space station, with Rogozin stressing how they’re responsible for keeping it from hitting space junk from U.S. “talented businessmen” – probably meaning Musk and the Starlink satellites. The Russians also provide regular boosts to the ISS so that it doesn’t sink too low into orbit.
In a statement to EuroNews, NASA says that, despite Rogozin’s online rant, it “continues working with Roscosmos and our other international partners in Canada, Europe, and Japan to maintain safe and continuous ISS operations.”
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022
Good thread
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022