NASA hopes to continue cooperation with Russia on ISS
"The space cooperation has been the hallmark of US - Russian relations, including the Cold War, but in particular durinf the last 13 years," NASA reports
WASHINGTON, May 14. /ITAR-TASS/. NASA has not received from Russia notifications of changes in cooperation on the International Space Station (ISS) and expects to continue cooperation, press service of the US space agency stated, commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and the head of Roscosmos Oleg Ostapenko.
Ostapenko and Rogozin said the decision on Russia's participation in the ISS after 2020 is still pending, although the US has recently announced the availability of orbital complex to operate until 2024. In addition, the deputy prime minister and head of the Russian Space Agency warned that Russia could cut off supplies to the United States rocket engines NK-33 and RD- 180, if they continue to be used on US carriers to launch military satellites.
"The space cooperation has been the hallmark of US - Russian relations, including the Cold War, but in particular in the last 13 years," NASA said in a statement.
According to NASA, "Operations on the ISS continue on a regular basis".
Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, NASA astronaut Richard Mastracchio, and Koichi Wakata astronaut of Japan's space agency JAXA, who have worked in orbit for more than 187 days, have transferred to the Soyuz TMA-11M spaceship docked with the International Space Station (ISS) and closed the hatches. Approximately in two weeks they will be replaced by new ISS crew.