Could United States Sanctions on Russia Affect International Space Station Relations?

A few weeks after Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin proposed that the United States use trampolines to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, he again made a comment about U.S.-Russia relations on Tuesday.

Russia's involvement in Ukraine has prompted the Obama Administration to impose sanctions upon the largest country in the world. This included a moratorium on military technology exports as well as a ban on NASA employees contacting their Russian space counterparts, aside from International Space Station relations.

But ISS relations might change. Rogozin announced Tuesday that Russia will no longer use the International Space Station beyond 2020, which could greatly affect the United States' plan since they recently extended the ISS' operations until 2024. Rogozin said Russia wanted to focus on other projects after 2020.

"The United States introduced sanctions against our space industry... We warned them, we will reply to statements with statements, to actions with actions," Rogozin said in April on Twitter via this Fox News article. "I propose that the United States delivers its astronauts to the ISS with the help of a trampoline."

"These sanctions are out of place and inappropriate," he added at a news conference Tuesday, via this Fox News article. "We have enough of our own problems."

Additionally, he says he will only supply the United States with NK-33 and RD-180 rocket engines - the engines the U.S. purchases and use to launch into space - if the United States doesn't use them to deploy military satellites. But that doesn't seem to faze the U.S., as the United Launch Alliance noted that they have a contingency plan in place if Russia decides to no longer supply the rocket engines.

Despite the tension, this could all come to an end once the issue is further addressed. Russia could very well be serious about the announcement, but it's likely the U.S. tries to convince them to stay, being that they want to be on the ISS until 2024 and as of now the Russian rockets are the only thing getting them there.

There is one person smiling about Rogozin's announcement, and that's Elon Musk, the founder and CEO and SpaceX. Last month he filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force because he claimed they were monopolizing national security-related space launches in their contract with the United Launch Alliance (ULA). Musk proposed that the U.S. grant his company clearance to do so because they don't purchase their rocket engines from Russia, which would save American taxpayers $1 billion per year.