(The International Space Station and docked shuttle Endeavour – Photo Credit: NASA/Paolo Nespoli)
Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Rogozin, has told journalists that the country is considering future space partnerships with China and India.
At a recent press conference, Rogozin explained: “Russia may implement joint astronautic projects with China”. He added: “We’ve agreed upon holding negotiations with our Chinese colleagues during the upcoming Universal Exposition in the city of Harbin, China, in June”.
Rogozin declared that China was a suitable partner as the country “is making progress very fast; Russia congratulates its Chinese colleagues with their success in the astronautic sphere”.
Additionally, Russia may even consider collaborating on some projects with other countries, such as India. The deputy prime minister confirmed “As for the period after 2020, Russia may have new astronautic projects with other partners or a broader range of partners”.
This information follows on from previous threats made by the Russian Federal Space Agency.
After Russia’s military involvement within Crimea, NASA withdrew almost all cooperation with Roscosmos (the countries still have minimal communication in regards to the day to day operation of the International Space Station).
Roscosmos did not appreciate these sanctions and responded by claiming that they will pull out of their partnership in the ISS after 2020, even hinting at the possibility that they wish to separate the American and Russian modules.
[For a more detailed overview on this topic, click here]
Roscosmos insists that the ISS is not a worthwhile expense for their space agency. Russia does not believe there will be any commercial reason to continue participation in the ISS project after 2020, as the project requires one third of the Russian Federal Space Agency’s budget.
Rogozin admits Russia will not withdraw until at least 2020 as they still have a legal commitment at this time. He confirmed: “We are not quitting the ISS project. It is to be worked on until 2020 and till this period, Russia will be following its international obligations. Moreover, we are receiving money for the transportation of American astronauts to the ISS. Roscosmos has a reputation and we don’t want to risk it”.
But, “As for the prolongation of the program after 2020, Russia has many doubts concerning the issue” Rogozin said.
It seems that the tensions between NASA and Roscosmos are not improving and the future of the International Space Station is still unknown.
The Solar System & Beyond 
That’s a great photo of the ISS and Endeavor! —The news from Moscow is not as good— why not bring China and India into the ISS family of nations, instead?