Future of International Space Station in the balance, says Russian official

Agency chief Dmitry Rogozin implied on Russian state TV that the western sanctions, some of which pre-date Russia’s military action in Ukraine, could disrupt the operation of Russian spacecraft servicing the ISS

Undated handout photo issued by Nasa of the International Space Station. As humanity marks the 20th anniversary of continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit, a leading space expert in the UK has described the International Space Station (ISS) as an invaluable scientific resource.

Russia’s top space official says the future of the International Space Station hangs in the balance after the US, the EU and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline for the lifting of sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware.

The head of Russia’s Roscosmos state agency told reporters on Saturday morning that the agency was preparing a report on the prospects of international co-operation at the station, to be presented to federal authorities “after Roscosmos has completed its analysis”.