The war in Ukraine also has consequences in the space sector

The Russian space agency announced this weekend the cessation of Soyuz rocket launches from Kourou in Guyana. First consequence, the launch of two Galileo satellites, the European GPS, which was scheduled for April 6 will certainly be postponed since they were to be launched by a Soyuz rocket. This weekend, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, suspended cooperation with its European partners and withdrew all its personnel from French Guiana.

But without them, no Soyuz rocket can take off from Guyana. Since 2011, they have sent several of our satellites into space. Bad news, therefore, for Arianespace, which had planned to launch a total of three Soyuz rockets from Kourou this year. The subject is on the menu of the crisis meeting of the European Space Agency on Monday February 28.

It’s a mission that also involves close collaboration between the Russians and the Europeans. The Exomars mission is due to take off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan next October, aboard a Russian Proton rocket. In particular to deposit the European robot Rosalind Franklin on Mars, using a descent and landing module which is also Russian. The European rover is to be transported to Russia during the spring on board a Russian cargo plane. The whole project could therefore be compromised.

Russia is at the heart of the ISS project: it holds modules that are essential to the proper functioning of the space station, it transports freight and it participates in crew changes. Russia is also in charge of maintaining the international station in its orbit. Several times a year, it corrects its altitude using the engines of Russian Progress automatic vessels. Without this maneuver, the International Space Station could disintegrate in space or fall back to earth in pieces. Fortunately, we’re not there yet, but that’s a lot of pressure tactics for the Russians in the space sector.