How earthbound tensions over Ukraine are affecting cooperation in outer space.
Despite NASA administrator Bill Nelson’s reassurances on Friday morning that his Russian counterpart Dmitry Rogozin’s recent statements about the United States—including the particularly catchy line that the United States will have to use broomsticks to get to space once Russia stops supplying U.S.
Then that launch was ultimately canceled when the London-based company, OneWeb, which is partly backed by the British government, opted out after Rogozin demanded guarantees that none of the satellites would be used for military purposes and that the UK divest its stake in the company. Overall, what has been most surprising about all of this is how unsurprising it actually is. After all, U.S. policy became laser-focused on getting into orbit and then putting boots on the moon at the height of the Cold War, an era when elementary school students were taught to duck and cover just in case the United States or the Soviet Union did happen to haul off and launch some missiles.
Of course, the reality of all of this posturing hasn’t led to any obvious breaches. Rogozin has since clarified that Vande Hei—who broke the previous U.S. spaceflight record on Tuesday is slated to touch down in Kazakhstan on March 30—will indeed be coming home aboard the Soyuz capsule as planned.