By Girish Linganna
Science and research should be for mankind. It should be devoid of politics. Unfortunately, the new alignment among the powerful countries is taking place because of the one-upmanship of the West and Russia. The power-hungry China is no better.
There is no war which spares anyone from its negative impact. There is no space where there is no politics. A bloody conflict can have not just a global impact but also go beyond our universe. The most recent example is the ongoing Ukraine war.
With no rapprochement between the two warring factions, the fate of the two-decade-old International Space Station (ISS) hangs in “space”. It is to be seen whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would settle scores with the US by leaving the ISS in the lurch. But going by the reactions of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, the coordination of running the ISS is going to be more challenging.
Roscosmos has already jittered its partners, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA is an independent agency of the US responsible for the civilian space programme and aeronautics and space research.
The ISS is a modular space station in low earth orbit that is jointly launched by the space agencies NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada). It has been in orbit for a little more than 23 years. Through international agreements, the ownership of the space station is being utilized. A lot of research has been carried out on the ISS by different agencies.
At present, there are seven astronauts on board – four from the US, two from Russia, and one from Europe. Since its inception into orbit, it has been insulated from geopolitics. But the Ukraine conflict has redefined the space equations. In fact, the ISS served as a bridge between the West and Russia after the cold war.
Russia, upset with the West’s sanctions against it, has minced no words to say it will end cooperation in keeping the ISS floating till the sanctions are lifted. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, tweeted that the West would not succeed in destroying the Russian economy. Restoration of normal relations between the ISS partners is possible only after removing the illegal sanctions without preconditions, he stated.
A silver lining
Despite the threats, an American astronaut and two Russian astronauts, on March 30, 2022, flew to the ground together in a Russian spacecraft that was totally under the control of Russia. Their safe landing was in Kazakhstan. While this is a positive sign, there is no guarantee that Russia will continue to work professionally in space matters.
Part of the station is constructed and operated by Russia. The ISS is a perfect example of a coordinated effort in research and development. All the partner countries have a stake in it. Russia’s modular space gets electricity from NASA’s wing. Russia controls orbit boosting and thus does the balancing act to prevent it from entering the earth’s sphere. In other words, Russia holds the key to the station’s propulsion systems. Any manipulation would push the ISS into the Earth’s orbit and reduce it to ashes. The astronauts can’t swiftly return even if they plan to do so. Whether the ISS will land safely or crash is a question that doesn’t get an answer till it happens. As per NASA, the ISS is scheduled to be removed from orbit in 2031. It would be intentionally crashing into the southern Pacific Ocean. It is as big as a football stadium and decommissioning it without damaging the earth and the human population is a challenge. At present, there are no plans to get a replacement for the ISS. However, NASA will be allowing commercial spacecraft. Anyway, whether the ISS will survive for the next eight years is the question.
Up till now, the astronauts on board have been keeping out of the war politics on the ground. To show that everything is normal, a European astronaut released a video showing the country’s laboratory is normal.
For the past two decades, the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits about 250 miles above the Earth, has served as a scientific research hub. It doesn’t fly over Russia. According to NASA, the maintenance of the ISS requires no less than $3 billion a year. It focuses more on its ambitious projects like sending humans to the Moon and Mars to continue with science research. The fact remains that the peacetime engineering massive project will be terminated as per the plans or per Vladimir’s decisions.
In 2014, it was reported that Russia pressured the US to recognise the annexation of Crimea, which was part of Ukraine. NASA has always hired the services of Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft for travel to the ISS. It is said that the US pays Russia $60 million annually for every astronaut using the transport facility. It takes nearly three hours to land after undocking from the space station. But the duration depends on the speed and the destination of the landing.
Now the arm-twisting tactics of Russia don’t work because NASA has hired the services of Elon Musk’s SpaceX since 2020. Northrop Grumman, an American multinational space company, and SpaceX have offered to provide a propulsion system as an alternative to Russia’s system.
Even Russia wants to reach the moon, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. But definitely, it wouldn’t be looking at the US. It is unfortunate that these two powerful countries, which came together for a good cause, have now drifted apart. The ISS partnership includes 15 different countries. It has been reported that Russia and China will work together to fulfil space goals.
The current war has led many countries to search for new equations or travel alone to space. The US has begun funding new commercial space stations.
Now the question is how the Russia-triggered ISS problem will affect India. Not directly, unless the ISS deliberately crashes into India. ISRO and the Indian government have already announced that they will set up their first space station by 2030. Prior to it, the Gaganyaan, the maiden mission to space, is scheduled to be launched by the end of 2022 or early 2023. It may carry two to three astronauts into low earth orbit. The pandemic has led to a delay in meeting the timeline, according to ISRO Chairman S Somanath.
In an era when technologies are bringing humans together, technology is also isolating them. Geopolitics has now reached space making countries get even more isolated. This is not a good sign.
(The author is Defence and Space Analyst & Director ADD Engineering Components (India) Pvt Ltd. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited).
