The Russian invasion of Ukraine will have myriad impacts on spaceflight

The consequences for the people on the ground will be devastating. The war's impact on the ground is far greater than that of spaceflight, but there will still be ripples in space programs around the world.

President Joe Biden mentioned space during his speech on Thursday about the US sanctions on Russia.

What does this mean? This article will attempt to sketch out how this conflict may affect spaceflight. As the situation is changing, please be aware that rapid changes are possible.

International Space Station

The fate of the International Space Station, which is led by the United States and Russia, is the most prominent space issue. The countries rely on each other, with Russia providing fuel and thruster capability to periodically re-boost the space station to a higher altitude, and NASA providing stability and its solar panels generating most of the electricity. The station can't operate without the consent of both partners.

The head of Russia's main space corporation lashed out in a series of posts after Biden's comments. The loss of the RD-180 engine sales was one of the things that Rogozin complained about. The US government may prevent NASA from working with Russia.

If you block cooperation with us, who will save the International Space Station from an unguided de-orbit to impact on the territory of the US or Europe? Do you want to hurt them? All the risk is yours because the ISS doesn't fly over Russia. Are you ready for it?

NASA said it was continuing to work with Russia and its partners to safely fly the International Space Station.

It is in the interest of both NASA and Russia to operate the space station. The situation could change in response to political pressure.

NASA should abandon its partnership with Russia, according to a US House Republican from Houston. Ifelonmusk can replace the Russian half of the station with something that isn't falling apart, then they should kick them out of the program.

NASA and its commercial partners could probably come up with a solution to boost the station if the relationship were to break. It would take months or years to make a temporary fix.

Unless the United States and Russia get into a shooting war, the most likely course for the space station is that it continues to fly for at least a few more years. This will probably be the last major partnership between NASA and Roscosmos in space because of the current tensions.