Russia stops supplying rocket engines to the United States

“Let them fly with something else, their brooms, I don’t know what”.

Russian state-owned Roscosmos has decided to no longer sell rocket engines to the United States. This is a reaction to the global sanctions that Russia is currently facing. Most rocket launches in the United States would not be directly affected, but this is an important signal from the Russian space programme.

The news was announced on Thursday by Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos. It is the official state corporation responsible for all Russian non-military spaceflight and research. In an interview with Russian news agency TASS, Mr Rogozin said bluntly: “Let them steal on something else, their brooms, I don’t know what.” With this announcement, Russia seems to want to show that the war also weighs above our heads. This is also the case with the International Space Station (ISS) where the Russian crew has been informed to work separately.

Two American programmes depend on Russian engines. These are United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Northrop Grumman. The first group is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing and specialises in launching government satellites and space probes. Its main customers are the US Space Force and NASA. Northrop Grumman in turn produces military aircraft for the US Air Force and regularly transports cargo to the ISS.

ULA has used the Russian RD-180 engine to power its Atlas V rockets for nearly 20 years. In 2014, after Russia invaded Crimea, Congress temporarily banned the use of this engine. This led ULA to consider American alternatives, after which it ended up with Jeff Bezos’ BE-4. As these engines are not yet ready, Russian engines are used.

For now, the Russian sanctions do not seem to have too great an impact on the ULA. The group says it currently has all the engines it needs, while it is in the process of switching to American engines.

On the other hand, Northrop Grumman expected to receive twelve additional Russian engines until 2024, but this delivery is now compromised. The company has planned two more flights to the ISS, but it’s not yet clear how they will be affected. Currently, the joint venture is looking for other suppliers.

In the meantime, America has other options for getting to the ISS, for example with commercial partner SpaceX. Elon Musk’s company has already entered into contracts with NASA to send people and goods to the ISS. All of the company’s hardware is made in the United States, making it relatively immune to Russian sanctions.

Roscosmos’ decision is a response to international sanctions against Russia. The country also suspended joint launches with Europe, halted the launch of a satellite in Kazakhstan and threatened to end cooperation with NASA on the ISS.

“We will closely follow the actions of our American partners. If they remain hostile, we will return to the question of the existence of the ISS,” the company recently told public broadcaster RT.

Source: Business AM