NASA says ISS continues to operate without issue despite Russian threat of 'an uncontrolled descent'

Officials said Monday that economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia from the U.S. and other countries has not affected the operation of the International Space Station, days after an ominous Russian threat of it falling out of orbit toward Earth.

NASA Associate Administrator Kathy Lueders said the multinational partners behind the research station continue to work and communicate with each other as before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reported The Wall Street Journal.

“We understand the global situation where it is, but as a joint team, these teams are operating together,” she said during a briefing related to an upcoming private-astronaut mission to the ISS.

Roscosmos, NASA’s Russian counterpart, said in a statement it continues to fulfill its operational obligations for the space station, according to WSJ.

The statements have helped quell concerns over an implicit threat by Roscosmos’ head Dmitry Rogozin on Thursday that President Joe Biden’s sanctions against Russia may lead to the ISS crashing out of the sky onto populated areas like U.S. or China.

“If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from an uncontrolled descent out of orbit and a fall on the United States or Europe?” asked Rogozin on Twitter.

“There is also the option of dropping a 500-ton structure on India and China. Do you want to threaten them with such a prospect? The ISS doesn’t fly over Russia, so all the risks are yours. Gentlemen, when planning sanctions, check those who generate them for illness.”

Европы? Еще есть вариант падения 500-тонной конструкции на Индию и Китай. Вы хотите им угрожать такой перспективой? Над Россией МКС не летает, поэтому все риски - ваши. А вы к ним готовы?
Господа, вы когда санкции планируете, проверяйте тех, кто их генерирует, на предмет болезни

— РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) February 24, 2022

Rogozin concluded his rant by urging the U.S. government to "disavow" what he called "Alzheimer's sanctions," according to Reuters.

There are currently seven people on board the space station: Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov; NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and Mark Vande Hei; and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer.

Some analysts say the Ukraine crisis could exacerbate growing tensions between the Americans and Russians on the ISS.

“Space is not like a utopian separate realm,” Jordan Bimm, a space historian at the University of Chicago, told CBS News while recounting the history of the ISS. He emphasized that that earthly politics can be an issue in space just as much as on the ground on earth.