Russian space agency Roscosmos has ceased joint experiments with Germany on the International Space Station.

"The Russian space program will be adjusted against the backdrop of sanctions, the priority will be the creation of satellites in the interests of defense," Roscosmos said in the tweet.

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⚡ Госкорпорация не будет сотрудничать с Германией по совместным экспериментам на российском сегменте МКС. Роскосмос проведет их самостоятельно. 
 
⚡ Российская космическая программа на фоне санкций будет скорректирована, приоритетом станет создание спутников в интересах обороны. <a href="https://t.co/zl7CRNstGG">https://t.co/zl7CRNstGG</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1499335245635764224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The massive global backlash to Moscow's invasion a week ago has already affected a range of scientific initiatives, including a planned Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars.

"Offlining the satellites of any country is actually a casus belli, a cause for war," said Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-map-1-million-space-objects-that-have-never-been-spotted-before-456863">Also read |&nbsp;Astronomers map 1 million space objects that have never been spotted before</a>

Rogozin also said his agency wanted British-based tech firm OneWeb to provide guarantees that its satellites are not going to be used against Russia.

Without these, Rogozin said Russia will cancel the planned March 4 launch of 36 OneWeb satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which Russia rents from Kazakhstan, without compensating OneWeb

Western sanctions have cut Russia off from many global initiatives over the last week. NASA is exploring ways to keep the International Space Station, long home to both astronauts and cosmonauts, in orbit without Russian help.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/international-space-station-humanitys-enduring-presence-in-space-450191" hreflang="en">International Space Station: Humanity's enduring presence in space</a>

The European Space Agency meanwhile said a joint mission using a Russian launcher to land a European rover on Mars was "very unlikely" to take off this year as planned.

The ISS itself was born in part from a foreign policy initiative to improve US-Russian relations following the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of Cold War rivalry that spurred the original US-Soviet space race.

But US-Russian ties have frayed since Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimea region from Ukraine, prompting Congress to ban new government contracts with US&nbsp;companies using Russian rocket engineers for national security launches after 2022.

After ending its space shuttle program in 2011, the United States began paying Roscosmos to ferry NASA astronauts to and from the space station aboard Soyuz capsules. NASA resumed launching its own crew members from US soil in 2020, even as it continued to hitch some rides on Soyuz.

Even before the Ukraine crisis escalated in recent weeks, US-Russian space cooperation was shaken in mid-November when Russia blasted one of its own defunct surveillance satellites in an unannounced missile test that generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit, threatening the space station.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian space agency Roscosmos has ceased joint experiments with Germany on the International Space Station. "The Russian space program will be adjusted against the backdrop of sanctions, the priority will be the creation of satellites in the interests of defense," Roscosmos said in the tweet.

Russian space agency Roscosmos has ceased joint experiments with Germany on the International Space Station. "The Russian space program will be adjusted against the backdrop of sanctions, the priority will be the creation of satellites in the interests of defense," Roscosmos said in the tweet. ⚡ Госкорпорация не будет сотрудничать с Германией по совместным экспериментам на российском сегменте МКС. Роскосмос проведет их самостоятельно. ⚡ Российская космическая программа на фоне санкций будет скорректирована, приоритетом станет создание спутников в интересах обороны. https://t.co/zl7CRNstGG — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) March 3, 2022 × The massive global backlash to Moscow's invasion a week ago has already affected a range of scientific initiatives, including a planned Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars. "Offlining the satellites of any country is actually a casus belli, a cause for war," said Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin. Also read | Astronomers map 1 million space objects that have never been spotted before Rogozin also said his agency wanted British-based tech firm OneWeb to provide guarantees that its satellites are not going to be used against Russia. Without these, Rogozin said Russia will cancel the planned March 4 launch of 36 OneWeb satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which Russia rents from Kazakhstan, without compensating OneWeb Western sanctions have cut Russia off from many global initiatives over the last week. NASA is exploring ways to keep the International Space Station, long home to both astronauts and cosmonauts, in orbit without Russian help. Also see | International Space Station: Humanity's enduring presence in space The European Space Agency meanwhile said a joint mission using a Russian launcher to land a European rover on Mars was "very unlikely" to take off this year as planned. The ISS itself was born in part from a foreign policy initiative to improve US-Russian relations following the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of Cold War rivalry that spurred the original US-Soviet space race. But US-Russian ties have frayed since Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimea region from Ukraine, prompting Congress to ban new government contracts with US companies using Russian rocket engineers for national security launches after 2022. After ending its space shuttle program in 2011, the United States began paying Roscosmos to ferry NASA astronauts to and from the space station aboard Soyuz capsules. NASA resumed launching its own crew members from US soil in 2020, even as it continued to hitch some rides on Soyuz. Even before the Ukraine crisis escalated in recent weeks, US-Russian space cooperation was shaken in mid-November when Russia blasted one of its own defunct surveillance satellites in an unannounced missile test that generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit, threatening the space station. (With inputs from agencies)

Russian space agency Roscosmos ceases joint experiments on International Space Station

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency, was quoted as saying on Wednesday (March 2) that Russia will treat any hacking of its satellites as a justification for war.&nbsp;

Amid a war-like situation after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a hacking group Anonymous claimed that they have shut down Russia's space agency.&nbsp;

Affiliated with Anonymous, the Network Battalion 65 or 'NB65' is believed to have hacked the space agency of Russia as they claimed to show the server information for Roscosmos on Twitter.&nbsp;

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/ukraine-unleashes-turkeys-bayraktar-tb2-drones-on-russia-is-it-a-gamechanger-458271">Ukraine unleashes Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones on Russia: Is it a gamechanger?</a>

Such hacking would mean that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be able to control spy satellites amid the ongoing invasion in Ukraine, which has killed more than 100 people, including children.&nbsp;

In a tweet, Anonymous TV wrote: "Hacking group 'NB65', affiliated with #Anonymous has shut down the Control Center of the Russian Space Agency 'Roscosmos'. #Russia has no more control over their own Spy-Satelites."&nbsp;

Meanwhile, denying the reports and warning against such actions, the head of the Russian space agency called Anonymous 'scammers and petty swindlers'.&nbsp;

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/which-assets-of-russian-president-vladimir-putin-can-be-seized-due-to-ukraine-invasion-458127">Which assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin can be seized due to Ukraine invasion?&nbsp;</a>

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The information of these scammers and petty swindlers is not true. All our space activity control centers are operating normally. <a href="https://t.co/MY0qzlLqCI">https://t.co/MY0qzlLqCI</a>
— РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rogozin/status/1498903566135832577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
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"Offlining the satellites of any country is actually a casus belli, a cause for war," Interfax quoted him as saying.

Rogozin also said his agency wanted British-based tech firm OneWeb to provide guarantees that its satellites are not going to be used against Russia, Interfax added.&nbsp;

Without these, Rogozin said Russia will cancel the planned March 4 launch of 36 OneWeb satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which Russia rents from Kazakhstan, without compensating OneWeb, the Russian news agency reported.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;International Criminal Court prosecutor opens probe into Russia's invasion of Ukraine

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&nbsp;

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency, was quoted as saying on Wednesday (March 2) that Russia will treat any hacking of its satellites as a justification for war.

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency, was quoted as saying on Wednesday (March 2) that Russia will treat any hacking of its satellites as a justification for war. Amid a war-like situation after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a hacking group Anonymous claimed that they have shut down Russia's space agency. Affiliated with Anonymous, the Network Battalion 65 or 'NB65' is believed to have hacked the space agency of Russia as they claimed to show the server information for Roscosmos on Twitter. IN PICS | Ukraine unleashes Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones on Russia: Is it a gamechanger? Such hacking would mean that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be able to control spy satellites amid the ongoing invasion in Ukraine, which has killed more than 100 people, including children. In a tweet, Anonymous TV wrote: "Hacking group 'NB65', affiliated with #Anonymous has shut down the Control Center of the Russian Space Agency 'Roscosmos'. #Russia has no more control over their own Spy-Satelites." Meanwhile, denying the reports and warning against such actions, the head of the Russian space agency called Anonymous 'scammers and petty swindlers'. IN PICS | Which assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin can be seized due to Ukraine invasion? The information of these scammers and petty swindlers is not true. All our space activity control centers are operating normally. https://t.co/MY0qzlLqCI — РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) March 2, 2022 × "Offlining the satellites of any country is actually a casus belli, a cause for war," Interfax quoted him as saying. Rogozin also said his agency wanted British-based tech firm OneWeb to provide guarantees that its satellites are not going to be used against Russia, Interfax added. Without these, Rogozin said Russia will cancel the planned March 4 launch of 36 OneWeb satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which Russia rents from Kazakhstan, without compensating OneWeb, the Russian news agency reported. WATCH | International Criminal Court prosecutor opens probe into Russia's invasion of Ukraine ×

'A casus belli': Amid Ukraine crisis, Russia space agency head says satellite hacking would justify war

Russia's 'unprovoked' invasion of Ukraine left the entire world in shock. The Western countries imposed economic sanctions on Russia, leaving the country in diplomatic isolation.&nbsp;

The invasion has impacted land, water and air with disruptions in airspace, sea and land routes in easter Europe, but now the crisis has affected a space programme.&nbsp;

A Russian-European joint mission to land a rover on Mars has been impacted as it is "very unlikely" to launch the ExoMars mission this year due to sanctions over Moscow.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/intelligence-operative-us-expels-russian-spy-working-for-united-nations-457984">'Intelligence operative': US expels Russian spy working for United Nations</a>

The European Space Agency said that the launch of the Rosalind Franklin rover, whose mission is to drill into the Martian soil to seek out signs of life, was originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and technical delays.&nbsp;

But in January, the ESA declared the ExoMars mission was ready to launch this September as Russia was ready to provide the launcher, descent module and landing platform.&nbsp;

Now, in a response to the Russian invasion, the European Union imposed massive sanctions on Moscow, the ESA said "the sanctions and the wider context make a launch in 2022 very unlikely".&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/video-ukraine-russia-conflict-man-miraculously-saved-after-military-combat-vehicle-runs-over-his-car-457805">Ukraine-Russia conflict: Man miraculously saved after military combat vehicle runs over his car</a>

"We are fully implementing sanctions imposed on Russia by our member states," the ESA said in a statement on Monday (February 28).&nbsp;

"We deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the war in Ukraine. We are giving absolute priority to taking proper decisions, not only for the sake of our workforce involved in the programmes, but in full respect of our European values," it added.&nbsp;

The ESA also said it took note of the Russian space agency Roscosmos' decision over the weekend to suspend launches and withdraw its workers from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, over the EU sanctions.&nbsp;

"Regarding the Soyuz launch campaign from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, we take note of the Roscosmos decision to withdraw its workforce from Kourou," the statement added.&nbsp;

The space agency added that they will "consequently assess for each European institutional payload under our responsibility the appropriate launch service based notably on launch systems currently in operation and the upcoming Vega-C and Ariane 6 launchers."&nbsp;

WATCH&nbsp;|&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Will Russia impose counter-sanctions amid economic crisis?

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&nbsp;

Russia's 'unprovoked' invasion of Ukraine left the entire world in shock. The Western countries imposed economic sanctions on Russia, leaving the country in diplomatic isolation.

Russia's 'unprovoked' invasion of Ukraine left the entire world in shock. The Western countries imposed economic sanctions on Russia, leaving the country in diplomatic isolation. The invasion has impacted land, water and air with disruptions in airspace, sea and land routes in easter Europe, but now the crisis has affected a space programme. A Russian-European joint mission to land a rover on Mars has been impacted as it is "very unlikely" to launch the ExoMars mission this year due to sanctions over Moscow. ALSO READ | 'Intelligence operative': US expels Russian spy working for United Nations The European Space Agency said that the launch of the Rosalind Franklin rover, whose mission is to drill into the Martian soil to seek out signs of life, was originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and technical delays. But in January, the ESA declared the ExoMars mission was ready to launch this September as Russia was ready to provide the launcher, descent module and landing platform. Now, in a response to the Russian invasion, the European Union imposed massive sanctions on Moscow, the ESA said "the sanctions and the wider context make a launch in 2022 very unlikely". WATCH | Ukraine-Russia conflict: Man miraculously saved after military combat vehicle runs over his car "We are fully implementing sanctions imposed on Russia by our member states," the ESA said in a statement on Monday (February 28). "We deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the war in Ukraine. We are giving absolute priority to taking proper decisions, not only for the sake of our workforce involved in the programmes, but in full respect of our European values," it added. The ESA also said it took note of the Russian space agency Roscosmos' decision over the weekend to suspend launches and withdraw its workers from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, over the EU sanctions. "Regarding the Soyuz launch campaign from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, we take note of the Roscosmos decision to withdraw its workforce from Kourou," the statement added. The space agency added that they will "consequently assess for each European institutional payload under our responsibility the appropriate launch service based notably on launch systems currently in operation and the upcoming Vega-C and Ariane 6 launchers." WATCH | Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Will Russia impose counter-sanctions amid economic crisis? ×

Russia's invasion of Ukraine likely to delay Europe's Mars mission

An out-of-control Russian Angara A5 heavy-lift rocket stage made an uncontrolled re-entry back to Earth on Wednesday and media reports have stated that it landed in the Pacific Ocean.&nbsp;

On December 27, scientists had conducted a third launch of its new heavy-class Angara rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia.&nbsp;

The next-generation Angara-A5 rocket had been launched with a mock payload and the state-run TASS news agency had mentioned that the aim was to test a new upper-stage rocket, called the Persei booster, for the first time.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chemical-leftovers-from-earths-creation-still-lingering-deep-within-our-planet-study-442513">Chemical leftovers from Earth's creation still lingering deep within our planet: Study</a>

Space agency Roscosmos had congratulated the military-space forces and the entire Russian space industry and called the launch "successful". However, the launcher was prevented from reaching higher than low-Earth orbit after the booster suffered engine failure, as per reports.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the 18th Space Control Squadron, which is a&nbsp;United States Space Force space control unit, confirmed on Wednesday that the re-entry occurred at 4:08pm&nbsp;EST over the South Pacific. No other information is out yet.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/18SPCS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#18SPCS</a> has confirmed the reentry of the IPM 3/PERSEY (#50505, 2021-133A) at 13:08 PDT on 5 Jan, 2022, over the Pacific Ocean. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/spaceflightsafety?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#spaceflightsafety</a>
— 18th Space Control Squadron (@18SPCS) <a href="https://twitter.com/18SPCS/status/1478856999697731584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Most of the debris from space burn up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere and pose lesser harm, however, there are instances when they reach the Earth's surface and it can be dangerous depending on where they land.&nbsp;

Astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, who's based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said, "Persei reentry confirmed: 2108 UTC over 121W 14S in the South [Pacific]."&nbsp;

He had previously tweeted, "To be clear, I do NOT regard this object as a significant risk. Reentries for a object with dry mass of about 4 tonnes may see some debris reach the ground, but not much."

The head of the European Space Agency's Space Debris Office, Holger Krag also weighed in on the incident as he gave specifics about the debris.&nbsp;

As quoted by CNN, he said the Russian rocket part had been travelling at 7.5 kilometres per second.&nbsp;

Last year in May, NASA has slammed China after debris from its out-of-control rocket was reportedly crashed into the Indian Ocean.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/this-asteroid-can-make-you-richer-than-a-billionaire-442485">This asteroid can make you richer than a billionaire</a>

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Persei reentry confirmed: 2108 UTC over 121W 14S in the South Pacfici
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) <a href="https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1478854309861380099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Here is a beautiful illustration of Persei, with attached conical dummy payload, by master space artist <a href="https://twitter.com/RussianSpaceWeb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RussianSpaceWeb</a> <a href="https://t.co/zVQYqvjc9v">https://t.co/zVQYqvjc9v</a>
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) <a href="https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1478799332191125506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Angara rockets - named after a Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal - are the first new family of launchers to be built after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

They are designed to replace the Proton rockets that date back to the 1960s and have suffered a series of failures in recent years.&nbsp;

Officials say the heavy-class Angara rocket is more environmentally friendly than its predecessors because it is fuelled by oxygen and kerosene rather than hugely toxic heptyl.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

An out-of-control Russian Angara A5 heavy-lift rocket stage made an uncontrolled re-entry back to Earth on Wednesday and media reports have stated that it landed in the Pacific Ocean.

An out-of-control Russian Angara A5 heavy-lift rocket stage made an uncontrolled re-entry back to Earth on Wednesday and media reports have stated that it landed in the Pacific Ocean. On December 27, scientists had conducted a third launch of its new heavy-class Angara rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia. The next-generation Angara-A5 rocket had been launched with a mock payload and the state-run TASS news agency had mentioned that the aim was to test a new upper-stage rocket, called the Persei booster, for the first time. ALSO READ | Chemical leftovers from Earth's creation still lingering deep within our planet: Study Space agency Roscosmos had congratulated the military-space forces and the entire Russian space industry and called the launch "successful". However, the launcher was prevented from reaching higher than low-Earth orbit after the booster suffered engine failure, as per reports. Meanwhile, the 18th Space Control Squadron, which is a United States Space Force space control unit, confirmed on Wednesday that the re-entry occurred at 4:08pm EST over the South Pacific. No other information is out yet. #18SPCS has confirmed the reentry of the IPM 3/PERSEY (#50505, 2021-133A) at 13:08 PDT on 5 Jan, 2022, over the Pacific Ocean. #spaceflightsafety — 18th Space Control Squadron (@18SPCS) January 5, 2022 × Most of the debris from space burn up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere and pose lesser harm, however, there are instances when they reach the Earth's surface and it can be dangerous depending on where they land. Astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, who's based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said, "Persei reentry confirmed: 2108 UTC over 121W 14S in the South [Pacific]." He had previously tweeted, "To be clear, I do NOT regard this object as a significant risk. Reentries for a object with dry mass of about 4 tonnes may see some debris reach the ground, but not much." The head of the European Space Agency's Space Debris Office, Holger Krag also weighed in on the incident as he gave specifics about the debris. As quoted by CNN, he said the Russian rocket part had been travelling at 7.5 kilometres per second. Last year in May, NASA has slammed China after debris from its out-of-control rocket was reportedly crashed into the Indian Ocean. ALSO READ | This asteroid can make you richer than a billionaire Persei reentry confirmed: 2108 UTC over 121W 14S in the South Pacfici — Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) January 5, 2022 × Here is a beautiful illustration of Persei, with attached conical dummy payload, by master space artist @RussianSpaceWeb https://t.co/zVQYqvjc9v — Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) January 5, 2022 × Angara rockets - named after a Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal - are the first new family of launchers to be built after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They are designed to replace the Proton rockets that date back to the 1960s and have suffered a series of failures in recent years. Officials say the heavy-class Angara rocket is more environmentally friendly than its predecessors because it is fuelled by oxygen and kerosene rather than hugely toxic heptyl. (With inputs from agencies)

Part of failed Russian rocket makes uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, crashes

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, announced on Saturday that seven people rang in the new year onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and three on the Chinese station Tiangong, making it the most "packed" ever in space.&nbsp;

"2022 was celebrated in near-Earth orbit by ten earthlings: seven on the International Space Station and three on the Chinese Tiangong Space Station. Roscosmos said in a statement published on its website. "This was the most crowded New Year’s celebration in orbit in the history of manned space exploration," Roscosmos said in a statement.

According to Roskosmos, 83 people have spent New Year's Eve aboard the International Space Station (ISS) over the last 21 years, with several cosmonauts and astronauts doing so multiple times.

Anton Shkaplerov, a Russian cosmonaut, spent four New Years in orbit: 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2022. 
 
<img alt="ISS" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="990e8ebf-517d-4bd9-9ab2-44079fb81c49" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%287%29_77.jpg" />

&nbsp;

FILE PHOTO: The International Space Station (ISS)

On the International Space Station, astronauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov work alongside NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hai, Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Mathias Maurer, while on the Tiangong space station, Hai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu work.

Holidays in space were relatively uncommon in the early years of the space programme, making them all the more memorable.

Yuri Romanenko and Georgy Grechko were the first cosmonauts to celebrate the New Year in orbit in 1977-1978.

Holidays in space grew more prevalent as space travel became longer.

With the launch of the Soviet Mir space station in 1986, New Year's Eve became a regular occurrence: 12 Mir crews spent the holiday in orbit.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, announced on Saturday that seven people rang in the new year onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and three on the Chinese station Tiangong, making it the most "packed" ever in space.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, announced on Saturday that seven people rang in the new year onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and three on the Chinese station Tiangong, making it the most "packed" ever in space. "2022 was celebrated in near-Earth orbit by ten earthlings: seven on the International Space Station and three on the Chinese Tiangong Space Station. Roscosmos said in a statement published on its website. "This was the most crowded New Year’s celebration in orbit in the history of manned space exploration," Roscosmos said in a statement. According to Roskosmos, 83 people have spent New Year's Eve aboard the International Space Station (ISS) over the last 21 years, with several cosmonauts and astronauts doing so multiple times. Anton Shkaplerov, a Russian cosmonaut, spent four New Years in orbit: 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2022. FILE PHOTO: The International Space Station (ISS) On the International Space Station, astronauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov work alongside NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hai, Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Mathias Maurer, while on the Tiangong space station, Hai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu work. Holidays in space were relatively uncommon in the early years of the space programme, making them all the more memorable. Yuri Romanenko and Georgy Grechko were the first cosmonauts to celebrate the New Year in orbit in 1977-1978. Holidays in space grew more prevalent as space travel became longer. With the launch of the Soviet Mir space station in 1986, New Year's Eve became a regular occurrence: 12 Mir crews spent the holiday in orbit. (With inputs from agencies)

First time in history, ten people at once celebrated New Year in space

Russian space agency Roscosmos has said that the International Space Station (ISS) had to swerve to dodge a fragment of a US rocket.

According to state news agency TASS, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said ''The ISS avoided a conjunction with the US space debris, the Pegasus carrier rocket remnants.''

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Thrusters of Progress MS-18 space freighter helped in the readjustment of the station's orbit.

It was dropped by 310 metres (339 yards) for nearly three minutes to avoid a close encounter.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/european-space-agency-detects-closest-pair-of-supermassive-black-holes-433356" hreflang="en">European Space Agency detects closest pair of supermassive black holes</a>

Due to the debris risk, NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron had to cancel their spacewalk at the ISS.

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NASA received a debris notification for the space station. Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the Nov. 30 spacewalk until more information is available. <a href="https://t.co/HJCXFWBd3Y">https://t.co/HJCXFWBd3Y</a> <a href="https://t.co/swj5hqusSo">pic.twitter.com/swj5hqusSo</a>
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Earlier, Russia destroyed one of its own satellites during a missile test, generating a cloud of debris that NASA said had "increased the risk to the station."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/incredible-milestone-astronomers-identify-over-360-previous-unknown-exoplanets-432362" hreflang="en">'Incredible milestone': Astronomers identify over 360 previous unknown exoplanets</a>

The debris cloud forced the seven crew on the ISS to temporarily take shelter in their return ships.

Ever since the incident took place, calls to monitor and regulate space debris, or space junk, have grown.

Space debris consists of discarded launch vehicles or parts of a spacecraft that float around in space and risk colliding with satellites or the ISS. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian space agency Roscosmos has said that the International Space Station (ISS) had to swerve to dodge a fragment of a US rocket. According to state news agency TASS, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said ''The ISS avoided a conjunction with the US space debris, the Pegasus carrier rocket remnants.

Russian space agency Roscosmos has said that the International Space Station (ISS) had to swerve to dodge a fragment of a US rocket. According to state news agency TASS, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said ''The ISS avoided a conjunction with the US space debris, the Pegasus carrier rocket remnants.'' Thrusters of Progress MS-18 space freighter helped in the readjustment of the station's orbit. It was dropped by 310 metres (339 yards) for nearly three minutes to avoid a close encounter. Also read | European Space Agency detects closest pair of supermassive black holes Due to the debris risk, NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron had to cancel their spacewalk at the ISS. NASA received a debris notification for the space station. Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the Nov. 30 spacewalk until more information is available. https://t.co/HJCXFWBd3Y pic.twitter.com/swj5hqusSo — International Space Station (@Space_Station) November 30, 2021 × Earlier, Russia destroyed one of its own satellites during a missile test, generating a cloud of debris that NASA said had "increased the risk to the station." Also read | 'Incredible milestone': Astronomers identify over 360 previous unknown exoplanets The debris cloud forced the seven crew on the ISS to temporarily take shelter in their return ships. Ever since the incident took place, calls to monitor and regulate space debris, or space junk, have grown. Space debris consists of discarded launch vehicles or parts of a spacecraft that float around in space and risk colliding with satellites or the ISS. (With inputs from agencies)

Roscosmos says International Space Station swerves to dodge fragment of US rocket

NASA has said that the International Space Station is still at risk from the debris of a weapons test by&nbsp;Russia.

Russia had destroyed one of its own satellites and generated a cloud of debris near the International Space Station (ISS) and its seven-strong crew.

They were directed to take shelter in their docked spaceship capsules for two hours after the test as a precaution to allow for a quick getaway had it been necessary.

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It generated more than 1,500 pieces of "trackable orbital debris" and would likely spawn hundreds of thousands of smaller fragments. They tracked by the US Space Command.

"NASA will continue monitoring the debris in the coming days and beyond to ensure the safety of our crew in orbit," NASA chief Bill Nelson said in the statement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/auditors-say-nasas-artemis-programme-likely-to-be-delayed-by-several-years-430217" hreflang="en">Auditors say NASA's Artemis programme likely to be delayed by several years</a>

The incident came just four days after the latest group of four space station astronauts,&nbsp;Americans Raja Chair, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron of NASA and European Space Agency crewmate Matthias Maurer of Germany,&nbsp;arrived at the orbiting platform to begin a six-month science mission.

Didier Schmitt, a senior figure at the European Space Agency (ESA) said Moscow's action increased the risk of a collision in space.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-mars-rover-probing-undisturbed-ancient-time-capsule-on-red-planet-428788" hreflang="en">NASA's Mars rover probing undisturbed ancient time capsule on Red planet</a>

However, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the test had not posed a threat to the International Space Station.

The target was a non-operational spacecraft, Tselina-D, that had been in orbit since 1982.

The United States was the first country to conduct anti-satellite tests in space, in 1959 when satellites were rare and new.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

NASA has said that the International Space Station is still at risk from the debris of a weapons test by Russia. Russia had destroyed one of its own satellites and generated a cloud of debris near the International Space Station (ISS) and its seven-strong crew.

NASA has said that the International Space Station is still at risk from the debris of a weapons test by Russia. Russia had destroyed one of its own satellites and generated a cloud of debris near the International Space Station (ISS) and its seven-strong crew. They were directed to take shelter in their docked spaceship capsules for two hours after the test as a precaution to allow for a quick getaway had it been necessary. It generated more than 1,500 pieces of "trackable orbital debris" and would likely spawn hundreds of thousands of smaller fragments. They tracked by the US Space Command. "NASA will continue monitoring the debris in the coming days and beyond to ensure the safety of our crew in orbit," NASA chief Bill Nelson said in the statement. Also read | Auditors say NASA's Artemis programme likely to be delayed by several years The incident came just four days after the latest group of four space station astronauts, Americans Raja Chair, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron of NASA and European Space Agency crewmate Matthias Maurer of Germany, arrived at the orbiting platform to begin a six-month science mission. Didier Schmitt, a senior figure at the European Space Agency (ESA) said Moscow's action increased the risk of a collision in space. Also read | NASA's Mars rover probing undisturbed ancient time capsule on Red planet However, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the test had not posed a threat to the International Space Station. The target was a non-operational spacecraft, Tselina-D, that had been in orbit since 1982. The United States was the first country to conduct anti-satellite tests in space, in 1959 when satellites were rare and new. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA says International Space Station is still at risk from debris of Russian weapons test

Tesla and SpaceX owner, Elon Musk, is known for his interest in space and establishing human life on other planets of the solar system. Keeping the same in mind, the head of Russia’s space command has invited Musk to sit down with him for tea and discuss space.<o:p></o:p>

In his first interview with a western media house, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin appreciated efforts of Elon Musk in the field of space.<o:p></o:p>

"I like what your people are doing – people who spend their own money on things useful for overall society,"&nbsp;Rogozin said.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/elon-musk-blasts-jeff-bezos-says-filing-lawsuits-against-spacex-is-his-full-time-job-410263">Elon Musk blasts Jeff Bezos, says filing lawsuits against SpaceX is his full time job</a></o:p>

He also said that as per him <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/elon-musk">Musk</a> "realizes many of the ideas and thoughts that we wanted to realize, but did not get to because, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, our space program halted for some time. We respect him as an organizer of the space industry, and as an inventor who is not afraid to take risks."<o:p></o:p>

It was not just appreciation, Rogozin went on to invite Musk to be a 'guest of my family' and discuss "exploring the universe, extraterrestrial life, and how we can use space to preserve life on Earth" over a cup of tea.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/smoke-detected-in-russian-module-on-international-space-station-report-411855">Smoke detected in Russian module on international space station: Report</a></o:p>

He also shared a story about his interview and added "I already set the teakettle on heat", to which Musk replied, "Thanks! What is your favorite tea?"

<o:p></o:p>

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Thanks! What is your favorite tea?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1435308889659039748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Rogozin quickly attacked a picture of his favourite tea and replied, "Let's start with my grandmother's favorite Indian tea!"<o:p></o:p>

His recent appreciation for Musk is contrary to his thoughts about the American entrepreneur from a few years ago. Rogozin had earlier claimed that he was uninterested in knowing more about Musk’s reusable rocket technology and had declined to invite Musk for a chat. "He's a busy man, I'm a busy man, why should I invite him,"&nbsp;he had expressed.<o:p></o:p>

Tesla and SpaceX owner, Elon Musk, is known for his interest in space and establishing human life on other planets of the solar system. Keeping the same in mind, the head of Russia’s space command has invited Musk to sit down with him for tea and discuss space.

Tesla and SpaceX owner, Elon Musk, is known for his interest in space and establishing human life on other planets of the solar system. Keeping the same in mind, the head of Russia’s space command has invited Musk to sit down with him for tea and discuss space. In his first interview with a western media house, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin appreciated efforts of Elon Musk in the field of space. "I like what your people are doing – people who spend their own money on things useful for overall society," Rogozin said. Also read | Elon Musk blasts Jeff Bezos, says filing lawsuits against SpaceX is his full time job He also said that as per him Musk "realizes many of the ideas and thoughts that we wanted to realize, but did not get to because, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, our space program halted for some time. We respect him as an organizer of the space industry, and as an inventor who is not afraid to take risks." It was not just appreciation, Rogozin went on to invite Musk to be a 'guest of my family' and discuss "exploring the universe, extraterrestrial life, and how we can use space to preserve life on Earth" over a cup of tea. Also read | Smoke detected in Russian module on international space station: Report He also shared a story about his interview and added "I already set the teakettle on heat", to which Musk replied, "Thanks! What is your favorite tea?" Thanks! What is your favorite tea? — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2021 × Rogozin quickly attacked a picture of his favourite tea and replied, "Let's start with my grandmother's favorite Indian tea!" His recent appreciation for Musk is contrary to his thoughts about the American entrepreneur from a few years ago. Rogozin had earlier claimed that he was uninterested in knowing more about Musk’s reusable rocket technology and had declined to invite Musk for a chat. "He's a busy man, I'm a busy man, why should I invite him," he had expressed.

Russian space agency chief invites Elon Musk for tea and space talks

The segment of the International Space Station belonging to Russia is facing "irreparable failures" due to out-of-date hardware.

According to Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of the Energia rocket and space corporation, "Around 80 percent of the inflight systems on Russia's segment have reached the end of their service period."

"This means that literally a day after the systems are fully exhausted, irreparable failures may begin," Solovyov added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/international-space-station-did-540-degree-flip-turned-upside-down-mishap-more-serious-than-earlier-reported-402761">International Space Station did 540-degree flip, turned upside down: Mishap more serious than earlier reported</a>

Energia is the leading developer of Russia's section of the ISS, a joint venture with the United States, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency. It is a manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components.

The space station has suffered several recent incidents. Russian officials last month said a software glitch, and a possible lapse in human attention, were to blame for throwing the ISS out of control.

Jet thrusters on the Russian research module Nauka inadvertently reignited a few hours after it had docked, causing the entire orbital outpost to pitch out of its normal flight position with seven crew members aboard.

Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, also reported last month a drop in pressure in the Zvezda service module, which provides living quarters for crew members on the ISS that was caused by an air leak.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has said it will remain part of the ISS until 2024 and that it is open to extending its participation beyond then.

(With inputs from agencies)

The segment of the International Space Station belonging to Russia is facing "irreparable failures" due to out-of-date hardware. According to Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of the Energia rocket and space corporation, "Around 80 percent of the inflight systems on Russia's segment have reached the end of their service period.

The segment of the International Space Station belonging to Russia is facing "irreparable failures" due to out-of-date hardware. According to Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of the Energia rocket and space corporation, "Around 80 percent of the inflight systems on Russia's segment have reached the end of their service period." "This means that literally a day after the systems are fully exhausted, irreparable failures may begin," Solovyov added. Also read | International Space Station did 540-degree flip, turned upside down: Mishap more serious than earlier reported Energia is the leading developer of Russia's section of the ISS, a joint venture with the United States, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency. It is a manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components. The space station has suffered several recent incidents. Russian officials last month said a software glitch, and a possible lapse in human attention, were to blame for throwing the ISS out of control. Jet thrusters on the Russian research module Nauka inadvertently reignited a few hours after it had docked, causing the entire orbital outpost to pitch out of its normal flight position with seven crew members aboard. Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, also reported last month a drop in pressure in the Zvezda service module, which provides living quarters for crew members on the ISS that was caused by an air leak. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has said it will remain part of the ISS until 2024 and that it is open to extending its participation beyond then. (With inputs from agencies)

Russian segment of International Space Station facing 'irreparable failures'

Russia's&nbsp;space agency Roscosmos has&nbsp;postponed its first mission to the moon's surface in decades as a result of "problems" encountered during tests of the Luna-25 spacecraft.

Russia had announced last week that the mission, originally scheduled for October 1, from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East had been moved to May 2022.

The Luna-25 mission to the Moon's south pole aims to probe ice deposits there. It is set to be&nbsp;Russia's first mission to the moon's surface in 45 years and the first in its post-Soviet history.

The chief engineer of&nbsp;Russia's state NPO Lavochkin design bureau explained the delay Tuesday saying that "more time" was needed to complete successful trials.

"We have encountered certain problems during testing," Alexander Shirshakov told the Interfax news agency.

"A safe landing system is of crucial importance and we are working on Luna-25's soft landing system," Shirshakov said.

The race back to the moon is in full swing after China in December 2020 became the first country to return samples from the moon since the Soviet Luna-24 mission in 1976.&nbsp;

US space agency NASA also has pledged to land the next man and the first woman on the moon in 2024 as part of its Artemis programme.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Russia and China signed a memorandum of understanding&nbsp;to set up an international lunar research station.

Russia's space programme inherited from the Soviet Union has in recent years suffered from problems like corruption scandals and budget cuts.

Its space industry took a blow in 2020 when it lost its monopoly over manned flights to the ISS after the successful mission of Space X, the company belonging to US billionaire Elon Musk.

Roscosmos has however announced a number of ventures including a mission to Venus and the creation of a rocket capable of making round trips to space.

Russia&nbsp;has also indicated that it plans to start building its own space station with the aim of launching it into orbit by 2030 if President Vladimir Putin gives the go-ahead.

The project would mark a new chapter for Russian space exploration and an end to more than two decades of close cooperation with the United States aboard the ageing International Space Station (ISS).

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia's space agency Roscosmos has postponed its first mission to the moon's surface in decades as a result of "problems" encountered during tests of the Luna-25 spacecraft.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos has postponed its first mission to the moon's surface in decades as a result of "problems" encountered during tests of the Luna-25 spacecraft. Russia had announced last week that the mission, originally scheduled for October 1, from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East had been moved to May 2022. The Luna-25 mission to the Moon's south pole aims to probe ice deposits there. It is set to be Russia's first mission to the moon's surface in 45 years and the first in its post-Soviet history. The chief engineer of Russia's state NPO Lavochkin design bureau explained the delay Tuesday saying that "more time" was needed to complete successful trials. "We have encountered certain problems during testing," Alexander Shirshakov told the Interfax news agency. "A safe landing system is of crucial importance and we are working on Luna-25's soft landing system," Shirshakov said. The race back to the moon is in full swing after China in December 2020 became the first country to return samples from the moon since the Soviet Luna-24 mission in 1976. US space agency NASA also has pledged to land the next man and the first woman on the moon in 2024 as part of its Artemis programme. Meanwhile, Russia and China signed a memorandum of understanding to set up an international lunar research station. Russia's space programme inherited from the Soviet Union has in recent years suffered from problems like corruption scandals and budget cuts. Its space industry took a blow in 2020 when it lost its monopoly over manned flights to the ISS after the successful mission of Space X, the company belonging to US billionaire Elon Musk. Roscosmos has however announced a number of ventures including a mission to Venus and the creation of a rocket capable of making round trips to space. Russia has also indicated that it plans to start building its own space station with the aim of launching it into orbit by 2030 if President Vladimir Putin gives the go-ahead. The project would mark a new chapter for Russian space exploration and an end to more than two decades of close cooperation with the United States aboard the ageing International Space Station (ISS). (With inputs from agencies)

Russian space agency Roscosmos postpones lunar mission over 'problems during testing'

The International Space Station (ISS) did a 540-degree flip after jet thrusters of a newly arrived Russian research module inadvertently fired a few hours as per a new report.

Zebulon Scoville, the flight director who was in charge at NASA's mission control centre in Houston has revealed in a report by 'The&nbsp;New York Times' that the mishap more serious than earlier reported.

“We had two messages, just two lines of code, saying that something was wrong,” Scoville said adding that engineers first considered it to be a false message.

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Following this morning's docking of the Nauka module to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a>, the module's thrusters started firing at 12:45pm ET inadvertently and unexpectedly, moving the station 45 degrees out of attitude. Recovery operations have regained attitude and the crew is in no danger: <a href="https://t.co/jFlDZD7ZHp">pic.twitter.com/jFlDZD7ZHp</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1420801401358364678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"And then I looked up at the video monitors and saw all the ice and thruster firings. This is no kidding. A real event. So let’s get to it. You get about half a breath of ‘Oh, geez, what now?’ and then you kind of push that down and just work the problem,” he told New York Times.

It&nbsp;began about three hours after the multipurpose Nauka module had latched onto the space station, as mission controllers in Moscow were performing some post-docking "reconfiguration" procedures, according to&nbsp;NASA.

The seven crew members aboard,&nbsp;two Russian cosmonauts, three&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;astronauts, a Japanese astronaut, and a European space agency astronaut from France, were never in any immediate danger, according to&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;and Russian state-owned news agency RIA.

The module's jets inexplicably restarted, causing the entire station to pitch out of its normal flight position some 250 miles above the Earth, leading the mission's flight director to declare a "spacecraft emergency," US&nbsp;space agency officials said.

An unexpected drift in the station's orientation was first detected by automated ground sensors, followed 15 minutes later by a "loss of attitude control" that lasted a little over 45 minutes, according to Joel Montalbano, manager of&nbsp;NASA's space station program.

'Tug-of-war'

Flight teams on the ground managed to restore the space station's orientation by activating thrusters on another module of the orbiting platform,&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;officials said.

In its broadcast coverage of the incident, RIA cited&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;specialists at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as describing the struggle to regain control of the space station as a "tug of war" between the two modules.

At the height of the incident, the station was pitching out of alignment at the rate of about a half a degree per second, Montalbano said during a&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;conference call with reporters.

The Nauka engines were ultimately switched off, the space station was stabilized and its orientation was restored to where it had begun,&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;said.

Communication with the crew was lost for several minutes twice during the disruption, but "there was no immediate danger at any time to the crew," Montalbano said. He said "the crew really didn't feel any movement."

Had the situation become so dangerous as to require evacuation of personnel, the crew could have escaped in a SpaceX crew capsule still parked at the outpost and designed to serve as a "lifeboat" if necessary, said Steve Stich, manager of&nbsp;NASA's commercial crew program.

What caused the malfunction of the thrusters on the Nauka module, delivered by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has yet to be determined,&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;officials said.

Montalbano said there was no immediate sign of any damage to the space station. The flight correction maneuvers used up more propellant reserves than desired, "but nothing I would worry about," he said.

After its launch last week from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, the module experienced a series of glitches that raised concern about whether the docking procedure would go smoothly.

Roscosmos attributed Thursday's post-docking issue to Nauka's engines having to work with residual fuel in the craft, TASS news agency reported.

"The process of transferring the Nauka module from flight mode to 'docked with ISS' mode is underway. Work is being carried out on the remaining fuel in the module," Roscosmos was cited by TASS as saying.

The Nauka module is designed to serve as a research lab, storage unit, and airlock that will upgrade Russia's capabilities aboard the ISS.

A live broadcast showed the module, named after the Russian word for "science," docking with the space station a few minutes later than scheduled.

"According to telemetry data and reports from the ISS crew, the onboard systems of the station and the Nauka module are operating normally," Roscosmos said in a statement.

"There is contact!!!" Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, wrote on Twitter moments after the docking.

(With inputs from agencies)

The International Space Station (ISS) did a 540-degree flip after jet thrusters of a newly arrived Russian research module inadvertently fired a few hours as per a new report.

The International Space Station (ISS) did a 540-degree flip after jet thrusters of a newly arrived Russian research module inadvertently fired a few hours as per a new report. Zebulon Scoville, the flight director who was in charge at NASA's mission control centre in Houston has revealed in a report by 'The New York Times' that the mishap more serious than earlier reported. “We had two messages, just two lines of code, saying that something was wrong,” Scoville said adding that engineers first considered it to be a false message. Following this morning's docking of the Nauka module to the @Space_Station, the module's thrusters started firing at 12:45pm ET inadvertently and unexpectedly, moving the station 45 degrees out of attitude. Recovery operations have regained attitude and the crew is in no danger: pic.twitter.com/jFlDZD7ZHp — NASA (@NASA) July 29, 2021 × "And then I looked up at the video monitors and saw all the ice and thruster firings. This is no kidding. A real event. So let’s get to it. You get about half a breath of ‘Oh, geez, what now?’ and then you kind of push that down and just work the problem,” he told New York Times. It began about three hours after the multipurpose Nauka module had latched onto the space station, as mission controllers in Moscow were performing some post-docking "reconfiguration" procedures, according to NASA. The seven crew members aboard, two Russian cosmonauts, three NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut, and a European space agency astronaut from France, were never in any immediate danger, according to NASA and Russian state-owned news agency RIA. The module's jets inexplicably restarted, causing the entire station to pitch out of its normal flight position some 250 miles above the Earth, leading the mission's flight director to declare a "spacecraft emergency," US space agency officials said. An unexpected drift in the station's orientation was first detected by automated ground sensors, followed 15 minutes later by a "loss of attitude control" that lasted a little over 45 minutes, according to Joel Montalbano, manager of NASA's space station program. 'Tug-of-war' Flight teams on the ground managed to restore the space station's orientation by activating thrusters on another module of the orbiting platform, NASA officials said. In its broadcast coverage of the incident, RIA cited NASA specialists at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as describing the struggle to regain control of the space station as a "tug of war" between the two modules. At the height of the incident, the station was pitching out of alignment at the rate of about a half a degree per second, Montalbano said during a NASA conference call with reporters. The Nauka engines were ultimately switched off, the space station was stabilized and its orientation was restored to where it had begun, NASA said. Communication with the crew was lost for several minutes twice during the disruption, but "there was no immediate danger at any time to the crew," Montalbano said. He said "the crew really didn't feel any movement." Had the situation become so dangerous as to require evacuation of personnel, the crew could have escaped in a SpaceX crew capsule still parked at the outpost and designed to serve as a "lifeboat" if necessary, said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's commercial crew program. What caused the malfunction of the thrusters on the Nauka module, delivered by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has yet to be determined, NASA officials said. Montalbano said there was no immediate sign of any damage to the space station. The flight correction maneuvers used up more propellant reserves than desired, "but nothing I would worry about," he said. After its launch last week from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, the module experienced a series of glitches that raised concern about whether the docking procedure would go smoothly. Roscosmos attributed Thursday's post-docking issue to Nauka's engines having to work with residual fuel in the craft, TASS news agency reported. "The process of transferring the Nauka module from flight mode to 'docked with ISS' mode is underway. Work is being carried out on the remaining fuel in the module," Roscosmos was cited by TASS as saying. The Nauka module is designed to serve as a research lab, storage unit, and airlock that will upgrade Russia's capabilities aboard the ISS. A live broadcast showed the module, named after the Russian word for "science," docking with the space station a few minutes later than scheduled. "According to telemetry data and reports from the ISS crew, the onboard systems of the station and the Nauka module are operating normally," Roscosmos said in a statement. "There is contact!!!" Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, wrote on Twitter moments after the docking. (With inputs from agencies)

International Space Station did 540-degree flip, turned upside down: Mishap more serious than earlier reported

Roscosmos space agency said that a Russian Proton-M rocket carrying the new Nauka laboratory module for the International Space Station blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Russian space agency released images showing the carrier rocket taking off at 1458 GMT, taking into orbit the first Russian ISS module in 11 years.&nbsp;

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Missed today’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nauka?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nauka</a> launch? Here is the video of this historic event! 
 
By the way, this was the 425th launch of the Proton family rockets. <a href="https://t.co/48dO8ur3wL">pic.twitter.com/48dO8ur3wL</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1417878239045984270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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'Nauka' (Science) module will provide the astronauts at the ISS with additional storage space, technical equipment, including for water and air regeneration.

According to&nbsp;Russia's TASS news agency, 'Nauka' module also supplies the station with ERA manipulator which will allow astronauts to avoid some of the open-space missions.

The module's long-planned journey to the ISS will take eight days. It is expected to dock to the nadir port of Russia's Zvezda service module on July 29, Roscosmos said in a statement in early July.&nbsp;

Also see|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-sputnik-1-to-sputnik-v-russian-scientific-achievements-375926">From Sputnik-1 to Sputnik V: Russian scientific achievements</a>

The assembly of the 20-tonne Nauka multipurpose laboratory module started back in the 1990s but its launch, initially scheduled for 2007,&nbsp;has been continuously delayed. &nbsp;

Pending a successful launch on Wednesday, Nauka will replace the Pirs module after twenty years in service, which is expected to detach from the ISS on Friday and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. &nbsp;

Russia’s space program has been dogged by mishaps in recent years, including failed cargo delivery missions into space and the aborted launch in October of the manned Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.

Russia’s current heavy-lift rocket, the Proton-M, has had a nearly 10 percent failure rate in more than 100 launches since it entered service in 2001, creating pressure to reorganise and improve the space program.

The International Space Station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russia’s Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

In 1998, Russia launched the station’s first module, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big module, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010.

<aside>(With inputs from agency)</aside>

Roscosmos space agency said that a Russian Proton-M rocket carrying the new Nauka laboratory module for the International Space Station blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Roscosmos space agency said that a Russian Proton-M rocket carrying the new Nauka laboratory module for the International Space Station blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Russian space agency released images showing the carrier rocket taking off at 1458 GMT, taking into orbit the first Russian ISS module in 11 years. Missed today’s #Nauka launch? Here is the video of this historic event! By the way, this was the 425th launch of the Proton family rockets. pic.twitter.com/48dO8ur3wL — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) July 21, 2021 × 'Nauka' (Science) module will provide the astronauts at the ISS with additional storage space, technical equipment, including for water and air regeneration. According to Russia's TASS news agency, 'Nauka' module also supplies the station with ERA manipulator which will allow astronauts to avoid some of the open-space missions. The module's long-planned journey to the ISS will take eight days. It is expected to dock to the nadir port of Russia's Zvezda service module on July 29, Roscosmos said in a statement in early July. Also see| From Sputnik-1 to Sputnik V: Russian scientific achievements The assembly of the 20-tonne Nauka multipurpose laboratory module started back in the 1990s but its launch, initially scheduled for 2007, has been continuously delayed. Pending a successful launch on Wednesday, Nauka will replace the Pirs module after twenty years in service, which is expected to detach from the ISS on Friday and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Russia’s space program has been dogged by mishaps in recent years, including failed cargo delivery missions into space and the aborted launch in October of the manned Soyuz mission to the International Space Station. Russia’s current heavy-lift rocket, the Proton-M, has had a nearly 10 percent failure rate in more than 100 launches since it entered service in 2001, creating pressure to reorganise and improve the space program. The International Space Station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russia’s Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet. In 1998, Russia launched the station’s first module, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big module, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010. (With inputs from agency)

Russia's heavy-lift Proton-M carrier rocket blasts off with ISS module 'Nauka'

Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Thursday that the launch of Soyuz rocket was postponed. Now, the lift-off would take place on Friday. The rocket is due to carry 36 UK &nbsp;telecommunication and internet satellites into space.

OneWeb, a London-headquartered company, is working to complete the construction of a constellation of low earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband and other services to countries around the world.

The rocket launch operated by European company Arianespace was scheduled for 1743 GMT on Thursday. It was to take place from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russian Far East.

"For technical reasons, the launch...has been postponed to the reserve date," Roscosmos said in a statement on Thursday.

The launch will now take place on Friday (May 28) at 1738 GMT.

So far two batches of 36 OneWeb satellites have been placed into orbit from Russia this year.

The UK company is planning to make its global commercial internet service operational by next year. It is to be supported by about 650 satellites.

The Vostochny launch site is one of Russia's most important space projects, designed to reduce reliance on the Baikonur space centre Moscow currently rents from Kazakhstan.

The project has been consistently behind schedule, with its construction marred for years by multiple controversies including corruption.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Thursday that the launch of Soyuz rocket was postponed. Now, the lift-off would take place on Friday. The rocket is due to carry 36 UK telecommunication and internet satellites into space.

Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Thursday that the launch of Soyuz rocket was postponed. Now, the lift-off would take place on Friday. The rocket is due to carry 36 UK telecommunication and internet satellites into space. OneWeb, a London-headquartered company, is working to complete the construction of a constellation of low earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband and other services to countries around the world. The rocket launch operated by European company Arianespace was scheduled for 1743 GMT on Thursday. It was to take place from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russian Far East. "For technical reasons, the launch...has been postponed to the reserve date," Roscosmos said in a statement on Thursday. The launch will now take place on Friday (May 28) at 1738 GMT. So far two batches of 36 OneWeb satellites have been placed into orbit from Russia this year. The UK company is planning to make its global commercial internet service operational by next year. It is to be supported by about 650 satellites. The Vostochny launch site is one of Russia's most important space projects, designed to reduce reliance on the Baikonur space centre Moscow currently rents from Kazakhstan. The project has been consistently behind schedule, with its construction marred for years by multiple controversies including corruption. (With inputs from agencies)

Soyuz rocket launch postponed, to take place on Friday

Russia&nbsp;said Thursday it would send an actress and a director to space to make the first feature film in the cosmos.

Moscow is seeking to boost its embattled space programme, which has stagnated since the Soviet Union under corruption and been overtaken by US tech billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX.

The Russian space agency announced the film project Thursday after NASA confirmed last year it was teaming up with US actor Tom Cruise to make a movie on the ISS.

The Russian "space drama", whose working title is "Challenge," will feature popular Russian actress&nbsp;Yulia Peresild, 36, and Klim Shipenko, a 37-year-old director and actor, Roscosmos said.

They will have to undergo training, including tests on a centrifuge and flights in zero gravity, starting no later than June 1.

The film is being co-produced by the flamboyant head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, and state-run network Channel One.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/japanese-billionaire-entrepreneur-yusaku-maezawa-to-travel-to-international-space-station-384793" hreflang="en">Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa to travel to International Space Station</a>

The space agency also announced plans to take Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to the ISS in December, resurecting its space tourism programme in the face of US competition.

Maezawa, 45, who made his fortune in online retail, said he planned to document the mission and share it with the world on his YouTube channel with over 700,000 subscribers.

Roscosmos said Maezawa would make the flight from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with production assistant Yozo Hirano aboard a Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft that is scheduled for December 8.

"I'm so curious 'What's life like in space?' So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world on my YouTube channel," Maezawa was quoted as saying by Roscosmos.

The eccentric billionaire has previously announced plans to take eight people with him on a 2023 mission around the moon aboard a Starship spacecraft built by Musk's SpaceX.

Maezawa and film producer Hirano will begin approximately three months of pre-flight training in June at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City outside of Moscow, Roscosmos added.

They have already passed the required medical examinations, it said.

Roscosmos said the flight will last 12 days and the crew will be led by Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, who has already been on two missions to the ISS.

A total of eight private self-funded space travellers have visited the ISS and Maezawa will be the first from Japan.

His flight will also be the first time that two of the three spots on a Soyuz space rocket will be occupied by tourists.

"We are excited for Maezawa-san and we are honoured to have enabled this opportunity for him to fly to space," said Eric Anderson, CEO of Space Adventures, a private spaceflight company.

It has cooperated with Roscosmos since the first space tourist flight in 2001.&nbsp;

Maezawa will be the first space tourist to travel to the ISS since 2009 when Canadian Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, travelled to the station.

According to Forbes magazine, space tourists could pay anywhere between $20 million and $35 million per person for 8-12 days in space.&nbsp;The cost of Maezawa's flight has not been disclosed.

The resumption of tourist flights comes after Roscosmos lost its monopoly on ferrying crews to the ISS when a reusable SpaceX rocket last year successfully delivered NASA astronauts to space.

Russia's space industry has suffered a number of setbacks in recent years, from corruption scandals to lost spacecraft to an aborted take-off during a manned mission in 2018.

Russia's ageing Soyuz rockets are reliable and allow Moscow to remain relevant in the modern space industry, but the country is struggling to innovate and keep up with other key players.&nbsp;

Russia&nbsp;launched the first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957. The Soviets maintained their lead in the initial years of the race.&nbsp;

They boasted the first manned flight to space by Gagarin on April 12, 1961, the first spacewalk four years later by Alexei Leonov and the first lunar probe in 1966. But the United States beat them to the moon with the first manned landing in 1969.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia said Thursday it would send an actress and a director to space to make the first feature film in the cosmos. Moscow is seeking to boost its embattled space programme, which has stagnated since the Soviet Union under corruption and been overtaken by US tech billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX.

Russia said Thursday it would send an actress and a director to space to make the first feature film in the cosmos. Moscow is seeking to boost its embattled space programme, which has stagnated since the Soviet Union under corruption and been overtaken by US tech billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX. The Russian space agency announced the film project Thursday after NASA confirmed last year it was teaming up with US actor Tom Cruise to make a movie on the ISS. The Russian "space drama", whose working title is "Challenge," will feature popular Russian actress Yulia Peresild, 36, and Klim Shipenko, a 37-year-old director and actor, Roscosmos said. They will have to undergo training, including tests on a centrifuge and flights in zero gravity, starting no later than June 1. The film is being co-produced by the flamboyant head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, and state-run network Channel One. Also read| Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa to travel to International Space Station The space agency also announced plans to take Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to the ISS in December, resurecting its space tourism programme in the face of US competition. Maezawa, 45, who made his fortune in online retail, said he planned to document the mission and share it with the world on his YouTube channel with over 700,000 subscribers. Roscosmos said Maezawa would make the flight from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with production assistant Yozo Hirano aboard a Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft that is scheduled for December 8. "I'm so curious 'What's life like in space?' So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world on my YouTube channel," Maezawa was quoted as saying by Roscosmos. The eccentric billionaire has previously announced plans to take eight people with him on a 2023 mission around the moon aboard a Starship spacecraft built by Musk's SpaceX. Maezawa and film producer Hirano will begin approximately three months of pre-flight training in June at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City outside of Moscow, Roscosmos added. They have already passed the required medical examinations, it said. Roscosmos said the flight will last 12 days and the crew will be led by Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, who has already been on two missions to the ISS. A total of eight private self-funded space travellers have visited the ISS and Maezawa will be the first from Japan. His flight will also be the first time that two of the three spots on a Soyuz space rocket will be occupied by tourists. "We are excited for Maezawa-san and we are honoured to have enabled this opportunity for him to fly to space," said Eric Anderson, CEO of Space Adventures, a private spaceflight company. It has cooperated with Roscosmos since the first space tourist flight in 2001. Maezawa will be the first space tourist to travel to the ISS since 2009 when Canadian Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, travelled to the station. According to Forbes magazine, space tourists could pay anywhere between $20 million and $35 million per person for 8-12 days in space. The cost of Maezawa's flight has not been disclosed. The resumption of tourist flights comes after Roscosmos lost its monopoly on ferrying crews to the ISS when a reusable SpaceX rocket last year successfully delivered NASA astronauts to space. Russia's space industry has suffered a number of setbacks in recent years, from corruption scandals to lost spacecraft to an aborted take-off during a manned mission in 2018. Russia's ageing Soyuz rockets are reliable and allow Moscow to remain relevant in the modern space industry, but the country is struggling to innovate and keep up with other key players. Russia launched the first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957. The Soviets maintained their lead in the initial years of the race. They boasted the first manned flight to space by Gagarin on April 12, 1961, the first spacewalk four years later by Alexei Leonov and the first lunar probe in 1966. But the United States beat them to the moon with the first manned landing in 1969. (With inputs from agencies)

Roscosmos to send film crew to space for first feature film

Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano will be the next tourists to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), Russia's space agency Roscosmos said Thursday.

Maezawa and Hirano will travel aboard a Russian "Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft that is scheduled for launch on December 8, 2021 from the Baikonur cosmodrome" in Kazakhstan, the agency said in a statement.

Maezawa, 45, who made his fortune in online retail, also plans to participate in a 2023 mission around the moon aboard a Starship spacecraft of SpaceX, the Roscosmos rival of US billionaire Elon Musk.&nbsp;

Maezawa and film producer Hirano, who will be documenting the mission, will begin pre-flight training in June at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, a closed town outside of Moscow, Roscosmos added.

It said that the flight will last 12 days and the crew will be led by Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin.

"I'm so curious 'what's life like in space?' So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world on my YouTube channel," Maezawa said, as quoted by Roscosmos.

It will be the first time that two of the three spots on a Soyuz space rocket will be occupied by tourists.

The last time Roscosmos took a tourist to the ISS was in 2009, with the flight of Canadian Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil.&nbsp;

The resumption of these tourist flights comes as Roscosmos lost its monopoly for ferrying crews to the ISS after a reusable SpaceX rocket last year successfully delivered NASA astronauts to space.

(With inputs from agencies)

Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano will be the next tourists to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), Russia's space agency Roscosmos said Thursday.

Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano will be the next tourists to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), Russia's space agency Roscosmos said Thursday. Maezawa and Hirano will travel aboard a Russian "Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft that is scheduled for launch on December 8, 2021 from the Baikonur cosmodrome" in Kazakhstan, the agency said in a statement. Maezawa, 45, who made his fortune in online retail, also plans to participate in a 2023 mission around the moon aboard a Starship spacecraft of SpaceX, the Roscosmos rival of US billionaire Elon Musk. Maezawa and film producer Hirano, who will be documenting the mission, will begin pre-flight training in June at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, a closed town outside of Moscow, Roscosmos added. It said that the flight will last 12 days and the crew will be led by Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin. "I'm so curious 'what's life like in space?' So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world on my YouTube channel," Maezawa said, as quoted by Roscosmos. It will be the first time that two of the three spots on a Soyuz space rocket will be occupied by tourists. The last time Roscosmos took a tourist to the ISS was in 2009, with the flight of Canadian Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil. The resumption of these tourist flights comes as Roscosmos lost its monopoly for ferrying crews to the ISS after a reusable SpaceX rocket last year successfully delivered NASA astronauts to space. (With inputs from agencies)

Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa to travel to International Space Station

Sixty years ago on Tuesday, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, securing victory for Moscow in its race with Washington and marking a new chapter in the history of space exploration.

Decades later, Gagarin's journey has become shrouded in myth after many details about the historic mission were for years kept secret by the Soviets.

Here are five things to know about Gagarin's legendary flight:

'Let's go!' 
A trained steelworker turned military pilot, Gagarin was selected from thousands of candidates to undergo the rigorous training required for a space flight.

Apart from showing excellent results in his tests, Gagarin, then aged 27, also reportedly stood out by removing his shoes before entering the Vostok spacecraft designated for the mission, a custom in Russia when entering a home.

On April 12, 1961, as Gagarin's flight took off from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, he exclaimed his iconic catchphrase "Poekhali!", or "Let's go!" in Russian.

Risky business

The flight lasted just 108 minutes as the Vostok completed one loop around the Earth.

Once Gagarin safely returned home, the success of his mission outshone the fact that not everything went according to plan.

Among a dozen technical glitches, his spacecraft entered into orbit at a higher altitude than expected.

If its brakes system had malfunctioned, Gagarin would have had to wait for the spacecraft to begin descending on its own. And while the Vostok was stocked with enough food, water, and oxygen to last 10 days, the higher altitude meant the wait would have been much longer and Gagarin would have run out of supplies.

Luckily for the Russian cosmonaut, the brakes worked.

Spy suspicions&nbsp; 
But Gagarin came down miles away from his expected landing point, ejecting from his capsule over the Saratov region in southern Russia.

He landed in a field where the first people he saw were a young girl and her grandmother digging up potatoes.

Clad in a white helmet and orange spacesuit, he struggled at first to convince them amid Cold War tensions that he was not a foreign spy.

- Urination nation - 
Legend has it that before takeoff Gagarin asked the bus driver bringing him to the launchpad to pull over so he could relieve himself, before urinating on the back right tyre.&nbsp;

For years Russian cosmonauts repeated the ritual before launching into space, but the decades-old superstition may soon be forced into retirement: the new design of the Russian spacesuit presented in 2019 is not equipped with a fly and is too heavy to nimbly remove.

The man behind Gagarin&nbsp; 
While Gagarin became a household name in the Soviet Union, for years nobody knew about the mastermind of the country's space programme: Sergei Korolyov.

The Soviets even rejected a Nobel prize awarded to their "Chief Designer", determined to keep his identity a secret. Only after his death in 1966 was his name revealed.

Under Korolyov's leadership, the USSR sent not only the first person to space, but later the first woman, as well as conducting the first spacewalk.

Sixty years ago on Tuesday, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, securing victory for Moscow in its race with Washington and marking a new chapter in the history of space exploration.

Sixty years ago on Tuesday, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, securing victory for Moscow in its race with Washington and marking a new chapter in the history of space exploration. Decades later, Gagarin's journey has become shrouded in myth after many details about the historic mission were for years kept secret by the Soviets. Here are five things to know about Gagarin's legendary flight: 'Let's go!' A trained steelworker turned military pilot, Gagarin was selected from thousands of candidates to undergo the rigorous training required for a space flight. Apart from showing excellent results in his tests, Gagarin, then aged 27, also reportedly stood out by removing his shoes before entering the Vostok spacecraft designated for the mission, a custom in Russia when entering a home. On April 12, 1961, as Gagarin's flight took off from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, he exclaimed his iconic catchphrase "Poekhali!", or "Let's go!" in Russian. Risky business The flight lasted just 108 minutes as the Vostok completed one loop around the Earth. Once Gagarin safely returned home, the success of his mission outshone the fact that not everything went according to plan. Among a dozen technical glitches, his spacecraft entered into orbit at a higher altitude than expected. If its brakes system had malfunctioned, Gagarin would have had to wait for the spacecraft to begin descending on its own. And while the Vostok was stocked with enough food, water, and oxygen to last 10 days, the higher altitude meant the wait would have been much longer and Gagarin would have run out of supplies. Luckily for the Russian cosmonaut, the brakes worked. Spy suspicions But Gagarin came down miles away from his expected landing point, ejecting from his capsule over the Saratov region in southern Russia. He landed in a field where the first people he saw were a young girl and her grandmother digging up potatoes. Clad in a white helmet and orange spacesuit, he struggled at first to convince them amid Cold War tensions that he was not a foreign spy. - Urination nation - Legend has it that before takeoff Gagarin asked the bus driver bringing him to the launchpad to pull over so he could relieve himself, before urinating on the back right tyre. For years Russian cosmonauts repeated the ritual before launching into space, but the decades-old superstition may soon be forced into retirement: the new design of the Russian spacesuit presented in 2019 is not equipped with a fly and is too heavy to nimbly remove. The man behind Gagarin While Gagarin became a household name in the Soviet Union, for years nobody knew about the mastermind of the country's space programme: Sergei Korolyov. The Soviets even rejected a Nobel prize awarded to their "Chief Designer", determined to keep his identity a secret. Only after his death in 1966 was his name revealed. Under Korolyov's leadership, the USSR sent not only the first person to space, but later the first woman, as well as conducting the first spacewalk.

Five things to know about Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, first human to travel into space

A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday carrying 38 foreign satellites after takeoff was twice postponed due to technical issues, Russian space agency Roscosmos said.

Video published by Roscosmos showed the Soyuz blaster launching against grey and cloudy skies at 0607 GMT.

"The Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the Fregat upper stage and 38 spacecraft from 18 countries took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome," Roscosmos said on its Twitter account.&nbsp;

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Первые фотографии сегодняшнего пуска <a href="https://twitter.com/gk_launch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gk_launch</a> 📸🚀 
 
С 11:35 до 11:37 мск запланировано отделение первой партии спутников попутной полезной нагрузки (японские спутники GRUS), а с 13:13 до 13:43 мск ожидается отделение второй партии на третьей целевой орбите (оставшиеся аппараты) <a href="https://t.co/df2pVnC2jx">pic.twitter.com/df2pVnC2jx</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1373910640826449921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The rocket will place in orbit 38 satellites from more than a dozen countries, including South Korea, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy and Brazil.

Among them is Challenge-1, the first satellite made completely in Tunisia, which was created by the Telnet telecommunications group.

The launch was twice postponed from Saturday after a surge in voltage was detected.

Russia plans to send up a second satellite in 2023 and, combined, the two will offer round-the-clock, all-weather monitoring of the Arctic Ocean and the surface of the Earth, Roscosmos said.

It had launched its space satellite Arktika-M on February 28 on a mission to monitor the climate and environment in the Arctic amid a push by the Kremlin to expand the country's activities in the region.

The Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average over the last three decades and Moscow is seeking to develop the energy-rich region, investing in the Northern Sea Route for shipping across its long northern flank as ice melts.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian space sector has lagged behind international competitors, plagued by corruption scandals and technological stagnation.

In 2018, a Soyuz rocket carrying a Russian cosmonaut and a NASA astronaut failed mid-flight, forcing the crew to carry out an emergency landing. Both survived without injuries.&nbsp;

A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday carrying 38 foreign satellites after takeoff was twice postponed due to technical issues, Russian space agency Roscosmos said.

A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday carrying 38 foreign satellites after takeoff was twice postponed due to technical issues, Russian space agency Roscosmos said. Video published by Roscosmos showed the Soyuz blaster launching against grey and cloudy skies at 0607 GMT. "The Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the Fregat upper stage and 38 spacecraft from 18 countries took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome," Roscosmos said on its Twitter account. Первые фотографии сегодняшнего пуска @gk_launch 📸🚀 С 11:35 до 11:37 мск запланировано отделение первой партии спутников попутной полезной нагрузки (японские спутники GRUS), а с 13:13 до 13:43 мск ожидается отделение второй партии на третьей целевой орбите (оставшиеся аппараты) pic.twitter.com/df2pVnC2jx — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) March 22, 2021 × The rocket will place in orbit 38 satellites from more than a dozen countries, including South Korea, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy and Brazil. Among them is Challenge-1, the first satellite made completely in Tunisia, which was created by the Telnet telecommunications group. The launch was twice postponed from Saturday after a surge in voltage was detected. Russia plans to send up a second satellite in 2023 and, combined, the two will offer round-the-clock, all-weather monitoring of the Arctic Ocean and the surface of the Earth, Roscosmos said. It had launched its space satellite Arktika-M on February 28 on a mission to monitor the climate and environment in the Arctic amid a push by the Kremlin to expand the country's activities in the region. The Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average over the last three decades and Moscow is seeking to develop the energy-rich region, investing in the Northern Sea Route for shipping across its long northern flank as ice melts. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian space sector has lagged behind international competitors, plagued by corruption scandals and technological stagnation. In 2018, a Soyuz rocket carrying a Russian cosmonaut and a NASA astronaut failed mid-flight, forcing the crew to carry out an emergency landing. Both survived without injuries.

Russian Soyuz spacecraft launches 38 satellites for 18 countries

The chief of Russian space agency Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin on Friday said that American astronauts from NASA will use the country's Soyuz rocket to travel to the International Space Station as US technology is ''unreliable.''

The next launch window for a NASA crew to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket has been pushed&nbsp;to April 20.

The flight marks only the second full-fledged space station crew-rotation mission launched aboard a private company's spacecraft - a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket tipped with the Crew Dragon capsule it will carry into orbit.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/russias-soyuz-spacecraft-takes-quickest-crew-trip-to-international-space-station-334731">Also see:&nbsp;Russia's Soyuz spacecraft takes quickest crew trip to International Space Station</a>

The four-member SpaceX Crew-2 consists of two NASA astronauts, mission commander Shane Kimbrough and pilot Megan McArthur, along with Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and fellow mission specialist Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency.

After docking with the space station, they will join the four SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts who arrived in November, and cosmonauts carried to the orbiting outpost aboard a&nbsp;Soyuz&nbsp;MS-18 spacecraft.

The newly arrived Crew-2 are to remain in orbit six months, while Crew-1 is due to return to earth by early May.

Dmitry Rogozin said in a <a href="https://www.roscosmos.ru/30252/">post</a>&nbsp;on Facebook that&nbsp;''flights to the International Space Station are unstable.''

However, he added, Roscosmos will ''confirm its commitment to joint agreements and the spirit of joint use of the International Space Station.''

''There was an urgent need for them (NASA) to find insurance and send their man on our ship, to make sure their segment on the space station isn't left unattended. The talk of swapping seats has nothing to do with this at all,''&nbsp;he clarified, noting that the agreement was made with Axiom Space, a NASA contractor and private space company which has plans to eventually sell human spaceflight experiences to tourists who want to visit the ISS.

Despite its former Soviet glory, Russia's space sector has suffered greatly in recent years from a lack of financing and corruption.

Moscow and Washington are collaborating in the space sector -- one of the few areas of cooperation left between the Cold War rivals.

However, Russia did not sign the US-led Artemis Accord last year for countries that want to participate in a lunar exploration scheme spearheaded by NASA.

Under the Artemis programme announced during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024.

In another blow to Russia's space reputation,&nbsp;Roscosmos&nbsp;last year lost its monopoly for manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) after the first successful mission of the US company Space X.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has become a key player in the modern space race and has announced plans to fly several members of the public to the Moon in 2023 on a trip bankrolled by a Japanese millionaire.&nbsp;

A SpaceX Starship prototype exploded after landing in Texas in March,after climbing to an altitude of six miles (10 kilometres). The test flight was part of the company's ambitious project to take people to Mars.

The chief of Russian space agency Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin on Friday said that American astronauts from NASA will use the country's Soyuz rocket to travel to the International Space Station as US technology is ''unreliable.

The chief of Russian space agency Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin on Friday said that American astronauts from NASA will use the country's Soyuz rocket to travel to the International Space Station as US technology is ''unreliable.'' The next launch window for a NASA crew to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket has been pushed to April 20. The flight marks only the second full-fledged space station crew-rotation mission launched aboard a private company's spacecraft - a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket tipped with the Crew Dragon capsule it will carry into orbit. Also see: Russia's Soyuz spacecraft takes quickest crew trip to International Space Station The four-member SpaceX Crew-2 consists of two NASA astronauts, mission commander Shane Kimbrough and pilot Megan McArthur, along with Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and fellow mission specialist Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency. After docking with the space station, they will join the four SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts who arrived in November, and cosmonauts carried to the orbiting outpost aboard a Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft. The newly arrived Crew-2 are to remain in orbit six months, while Crew-1 is due to return to earth by early May. Dmitry Rogozin said in a post on Facebook that ''flights to the International Space Station are unstable.'' However, he added, Roscosmos will ''confirm its commitment to joint agreements and the spirit of joint use of the International Space Station.'' ''There was an urgent need for them (NASA) to find insurance and send their man on our ship, to make sure their segment on the space station isn't left unattended. The talk of swapping seats has nothing to do with this at all,'' he clarified, noting that the agreement was made with Axiom Space, a NASA contractor and private space company which has plans to eventually sell human spaceflight experiences to tourists who want to visit the ISS. Despite its former Soviet glory, Russia's space sector has suffered greatly in recent years from a lack of financing and corruption. Moscow and Washington are collaborating in the space sector -- one of the few areas of cooperation left between the Cold War rivals. However, Russia did not sign the US-led Artemis Accord last year for countries that want to participate in a lunar exploration scheme spearheaded by NASA. Under the Artemis programme announced during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024. In another blow to Russia's space reputation, Roscosmos last year lost its monopoly for manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) after the first successful mission of the US company Space X. Elon Musk's SpaceX has become a key player in the modern space race and has announced plans to fly several members of the public to the Moon in 2023 on a trip bankrolled by a Japanese millionaire. A SpaceX Starship prototype exploded after landing in Texas in March,after climbing to an altitude of six miles (10 kilometres). The test flight was part of the company's ambitious project to take people to Mars.

Russian space agency chief calls US technology 'unstable' to reach International Space Station

Russia&nbsp;and China unveiled plans Tuesday for a joint lunar space station, as Moscow seeks to recapture the glory of its space pioneering days of Soviet times, and Beijing gears up its own extraterrestrial ambitions.

Though Moscow was once at the forefront of space travel -- it sent the first man into space -- its cosmic ambitions have dimmed thanks to poor financing and endemic corruption.&nbsp;

It has been eclipsed by China and the United States, which have both clocked major wins in space exploration and research in recent years.&nbsp;

The Russian space agency Roscomos said in a statement that it had signed an agreement with China's National Space Administration (CNSA) to develop a "complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the Moon".

The CNSA, for its part, said that the project was "open to all interested countries and international partners" in what experts said would be China's biggest international space cooperation project to date.

Moscow is seeking to re-take the lead in the space race.

This year, it celebrates the 60th anniversary of&nbsp;Russia's first-ever manned space flight -- it sent Yuri Gagarin into space in April 1961, followed by the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, two years later.&nbsp;

The United States NASA space agency launched its first manned space flight a month after&nbsp;Russia, in May 1961, sending Alan Shepard up aboard Mercury-Redstone 3.

But Moscow has lagged behind both Washington and Beijing in the exploration of the Moon and Mars in recent years.&nbsp;

In the meantime, China -- which has sought closer partnership with Moscow -- has started a successful space programme of its own.

Bid deal

Last year, it launched its Tianwen-1 probe to Mars that is currently orbiting the Red Planet.

And in December, it successfully brought rock and soil samples from the Moon back to Earth, the first mission of this type in over 40 years.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter that he had invited CNSA chief Zhang Kejian to the launch of&nbsp;Russia's first modern lunar lander, Luna 25, scheduled for October 1 -- the first lunar lander to be launched by&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;since 1976.

Eyes on Mars

The US space agency NASA has now set its sights on Mars, with its Perseverance rovers last week conducting their first test drive on the planet.

NASA eventually intends to conduct a possible human mission to the planet, even if planning is still at a very preliminary stage.

Moscow and Washington are also collaborating in the space sector -- one of the few areas of cooperation left between the Cold War rivals.

However,&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;did not sign the US-led Artemis Accord last year for countries that want to participate in a lunar exploration scheme spearheaded by NASA.

Under the Artemis programme announced during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024.

In another blow to&nbsp;Russia's space reputation, Roscosmos last year lost its monopoly for manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) after the first successful mission of the US company Space X.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has become a key player in the modern space race and has announced plans to fly several members of the public to the Moon in 2023 on a trip bankrolled by a Japanese millionaire.&nbsp;

A SpaceX Starship prototype exploded after landing in Texas in March,after climbing to an altitude of six miles (10 kilometres). The test flight was part of the company's ambitious project to take people to Mars.

Russia and China unveiled plans Tuesday for a joint lunar space station, as Moscow seeks to recapture the glory of its space pioneering days of Soviet times, and Beijing gears up its own extraterrestrial ambitions.

Russia and China unveiled plans Tuesday for a joint lunar space station, as Moscow seeks to recapture the glory of its space pioneering days of Soviet times, and Beijing gears up its own extraterrestrial ambitions. Though Moscow was once at the forefront of space travel -- it sent the first man into space -- its cosmic ambitions have dimmed thanks to poor financing and endemic corruption. It has been eclipsed by China and the United States, which have both clocked major wins in space exploration and research in recent years. The Russian space agency Roscomos said in a statement that it had signed an agreement with China's National Space Administration (CNSA) to develop a "complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the Moon". The CNSA, for its part, said that the project was "open to all interested countries and international partners" in what experts said would be China's biggest international space cooperation project to date. Moscow is seeking to re-take the lead in the space race. This year, it celebrates the 60th anniversary of Russia's first-ever manned space flight -- it sent Yuri Gagarin into space in April 1961, followed by the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, two years later. The United States NASA space agency launched its first manned space flight a month after Russia, in May 1961, sending Alan Shepard up aboard Mercury-Redstone 3. But Moscow has lagged behind both Washington and Beijing in the exploration of the Moon and Mars in recent years. In the meantime, China -- which has sought closer partnership with Moscow -- has started a successful space programme of its own. Bid deal Last year, it launched its Tianwen-1 probe to Mars that is currently orbiting the Red Planet. And in December, it successfully brought rock and soil samples from the Moon back to Earth, the first mission of this type in over 40 years. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter that he had invited CNSA chief Zhang Kejian to the launch of Russia's first modern lunar lander, Luna 25, scheduled for October 1 -- the first lunar lander to be launched by Russia since 1976. Eyes on Mars The US space agency NASA has now set its sights on Mars, with its Perseverance rovers last week conducting their first test drive on the planet. NASA eventually intends to conduct a possible human mission to the planet, even if planning is still at a very preliminary stage. Moscow and Washington are also collaborating in the space sector -- one of the few areas of cooperation left between the Cold War rivals. However, Russia did not sign the US-led Artemis Accord last year for countries that want to participate in a lunar exploration scheme spearheaded by NASA. Under the Artemis programme announced during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024. In another blow to Russia's space reputation, Roscosmos last year lost its monopoly for manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) after the first successful mission of the US company Space X. Elon Musk's SpaceX has become a key player in the modern space race and has announced plans to fly several members of the public to the Moon in 2023 on a trip bankrolled by a Japanese millionaire. A SpaceX Starship prototype exploded after landing in Texas in March,after climbing to an altitude of six miles (10 kilometres). The test flight was part of the company's ambitious project to take people to Mars.

Russia and China sign memorandum to build joint lunar space station

Moon race heats up as Russia, China sign memorandum on lunar research station

A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday carrying Russia's first satellite for monitoring the Arctic's climate, the Roscosmos space agency said.&nbsp;

Video published by the Russian space agency showed the Soyuz blaster launching against grey skies at 0655 GMT, carrying an Arktika-M satellite.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/isros-pslv-c51-successfully-places-19-satellites-into-orbit-366785" hreflang="en">ISRO's PSLV-C51 successfully places 19 satellites into orbit</a>

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LIFTOFF 🚀 
 
The Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat upper stage and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArktikaM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ArktikaM</a> spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome. 
 
Watch with us ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/b0mrI021s5">https://t.co/b0mrI021s5</a> <a href="https://t.co/PNM65AKveO">pic.twitter.com/PNM65AKveO</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1365918653762457603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter Sunday that the launch was routine.

"The 'Arktika' hydrometeorological and climate monitoring space system is designed to monitor the climate and environment in the Arctic region," Roscosmos said in a statement.

The monitoring system will need at least two satellites to operate properly, the space agency said.

"As part of the system, they will provide round-the-clock all-weather monitoring of the Earth's surface and the seas of the Arctic Ocean," it added.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArktikaM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ArktikaM</a>: T+09:22 min → separation of the upper stage from the third stage of the rocket. 
 
After the successful separation of the payload, the Fregat upper stage continued to inject the spacecraft into the assigned orbit. <a href="https://t.co/Hm0lUMUc5k">pic.twitter.com/Hm0lUMUc5k</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1365920895819264000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The launch of the second Arktika-M satellite is planned for 2023, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Economic development of the Arctic is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key goals.

The Arctic holds huge oil and gas reserves that are being eyed by Russia and other countries including the United States, Canada and Norway.

UK scientists last month reported ice was disappearing across the world at a rate that matched "worst-case climate warming scenarios".&nbsp;

The team from the universities of Edinburgh and Leeds and University College London found that some of the largest losses in the last three decades were from Arctic Sea ice.

A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday carrying Russia's first satellite for monitoring the Arctic's climate, the Roscosmos space agency said.

A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday carrying Russia's first satellite for monitoring the Arctic's climate, the Roscosmos space agency said. Video published by the Russian space agency showed the Soyuz blaster launching against grey skies at 0655 GMT, carrying an Arktika-M satellite. Also read| ISRO's PSLV-C51 successfully places 19 satellites into orbit LIFTOFF 🚀 The Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat upper stage and the #ArktikaM spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome. Watch with us ➡️ https://t.co/b0mrI021s5 pic.twitter.com/PNM65AKveO — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) February 28, 2021 × Space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter Sunday that the launch was routine. "The 'Arktika' hydrometeorological and climate monitoring space system is designed to monitor the climate and environment in the Arctic region," Roscosmos said in a statement. The monitoring system will need at least two satellites to operate properly, the space agency said. "As part of the system, they will provide round-the-clock all-weather monitoring of the Earth's surface and the seas of the Arctic Ocean," it added. #ArktikaM: T+09:22 min → separation of the upper stage from the third stage of the rocket. After the successful separation of the payload, the Fregat upper stage continued to inject the spacecraft into the assigned orbit. pic.twitter.com/Hm0lUMUc5k — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) February 28, 2021 × The launch of the second Arktika-M satellite is planned for 2023, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Economic development of the Arctic is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key goals. The Arctic holds huge oil and gas reserves that are being eyed by Russia and other countries including the United States, Canada and Norway. UK scientists last month reported ice was disappearing across the world at a rate that matched "worst-case climate warming scenarios". The team from the universities of Edinburgh and Leeds and University College London found that some of the largest losses in the last three decades were from Arctic Sea ice.

Russia launches its first Arctic monitoring satellite

Russian space agency&nbsp;Roscosmos announced that it had successfully launched&nbsp;Angara-A5 heavy-lift&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;after a long hiatus of&nbsp;nearly six years.

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Еще больше видео! Еще больше ракурсов! 
 
Смотрите новые видеокадры второго испытательного пуска тяжелой ракеты-носителя <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ангара</a>-А5 с космодрома <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D0%9F%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%86%D0%BA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Плесецк</a> 😎🚀 
 
Видео: <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mod_russia</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fm7gXFPl31">pic.twitter.com/Fm7gXFPl31</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1338424680554917893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Angara rocket,&nbsp;first developed after the fall of the Soviet Union, blasted off&nbsp;with a mock payload from Plesetsk in northern Russia at 0550 GMT.

Twelve minutes and 28 seconds after the launch, "the orbital block consisting of the Breeze-M upper stage and the spacecraft's cargo mockup separated from the third stage of the carrier", Roscosmos said in a statement.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/russias-soyuz-spacecraft-takes-quickest-crew-trip-to-international-space-station-334731" hreflang="en">Russia's Soyuz spacecraft takes quickest crew trip to International Space Station</a>

Agency head Dmitry Rogozin welcomed the news on Twitter, posting a picture of the rocket and writing: "She flies, damn it!"

The mission, which continues work to certify the Angara to carry national security payloads, had already been delayed by several years due to manufacturing and quality control issues.

The only other launch of the heavy-class Angara rocket took place in late December 2014, while a test of a lighter class version of the rocket was conducted in July that year.

The Angara rockets -- named after a Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal -- are the first new family of launchers to be built after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

They are designed to replace the Proton rockets that date back to the 1960s and have suffered a series of embarrassing failures in recent years.&nbsp;

President Vladimir Putin hopes the new launchers will revive Russia's space industry and reduce reliance on other former Soviet countries.&nbsp;

Officials say the heavy-class Angara rocket is more environmentally friendly than its predecessors because it is fuelled by oxygen and kerosene rather than hugely toxic heptyl.

Angara is a family of rockets developed by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Centre based around the Universalniy Raketniy Modul (URM) or Universal Rocket Module.

The URM-1 is a common booster used across the family of rockets, being employed as the first core stage of all Angara configurations, with additional units serving as side boosters on the larger versions of the rocket. Similarly, the URM-2 has been designed as a common second stage for the family, although it is not used on the smallest version of the rocket, Angara-1.

Russian space agency Roscosmos announced that it had successfully launched Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket after a long hiatus of nearly six years. Еще больше видео!

Russian space agency Roscosmos announced that it had successfully launched Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket after a long hiatus of nearly six years. Еще больше видео! Еще больше ракурсов! Смотрите новые видеокадры второго испытательного пуска тяжелой ракеты-носителя #Ангара-А5 с космодрома #Плесецк 😎🚀 Видео: @mod_russia pic.twitter.com/Fm7gXFPl31 — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) December 14, 2020 × Angara rocket, first developed after the fall of the Soviet Union, blasted off with a mock payload from Plesetsk in northern Russia at 0550 GMT. Twelve minutes and 28 seconds after the launch, "the orbital block consisting of the Breeze-M upper stage and the spacecraft's cargo mockup separated from the third stage of the carrier", Roscosmos said in a statement. Also see: Russia's Soyuz spacecraft takes quickest crew trip to International Space Station Agency head Dmitry Rogozin welcomed the news on Twitter, posting a picture of the rocket and writing: "She flies, damn it!" The mission, which continues work to certify the Angara to carry national security payloads, had already been delayed by several years due to manufacturing and quality control issues. The only other launch of the heavy-class Angara rocket took place in late December 2014, while a test of a lighter class version of the rocket was conducted in July that year. The Angara rockets -- named after a Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal -- are the first new family of launchers to be built after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They are designed to replace the Proton rockets that date back to the 1960s and have suffered a series of embarrassing failures in recent years. President Vladimir Putin hopes the new launchers will revive Russia's space industry and reduce reliance on other former Soviet countries. Officials say the heavy-class Angara rocket is more environmentally friendly than its predecessors because it is fuelled by oxygen and kerosene rather than hugely toxic heptyl. Angara is a family of rockets developed by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Centre based around the Universalniy Raketniy Modul (URM) or Universal Rocket Module. The URM-1 is a common booster used across the family of rockets, being employed as the first core stage of all Angara configurations, with additional units serving as side boosters on the larger versions of the rocket. Similarly, the URM-2 has been designed as a common second stage for the family, although it is not used on the smallest version of the rocket, Angara-1.

Russia successfully launches Angara heavy-lift rocket after long hiatus

According to the Russian Space Agency, India’s Cartosat 2F weighing over 700kg dangerously approached the Kanopus-V spacecraft at 01:49UTC, on Friday, November 27. In a tweet, Roscosmos has said that the minimum distance between both Russian and foreign satellite was 224 meters. Both the satellites are meant for earth’s remote sensing.&nbsp;

How significant and dangerous is this?&nbsp;

According to a source that spoke to WION on the condition of anonymity, 1 kilometre is an ideal distance between satellites in orbit, whereas 224 meter is scary and can be counted as a near miss. Generally, when two satellites are predicted (based on calculations) to make a close pass, a decision is taken to manoeuvre one of them away in advance (usually days ahead).&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-proposed-venus-mission-attracts-international-payload-proposals-344846">India's proposed Venus mission attracts international payload proposals</a>

Given how space is getting increasingly crowded with satellites that are used for various purposes, it is said to be normal for agencies to manoeuvre one of their satellites every 3-4 weeks. It is notable that low Earth orbit (500-2000km) is the most congested, with satellites of various sizes — ranging from 10cm cubes to ones that are the size of a car or larger.&nbsp;

However, the decision to manoeuvre is not very easy. Especially, when the satellite is performing a strategic role that requires it to be at a particular spot. Because the manoeuvre would affect the schedule of the pre-planned operation of surveillance (in whatever form). In this case, Roscosmos has said that both are remote sensing satellites, which implies that they in all likelihood used for strategic purposes.&nbsp;

The space community has been divided over the prediction models for tracking satellites in orbit. The existing ones are the European Model, American model, Russian model, whereas the Indian model is under development. The reason that the space community hotly debates the efficiency of the models is that there are differences between the calculations made using each model.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-to-launch-bhutanese-satellite-train-its-engineers-344280">India to launch Bhutanese satellite; train its engineers&nbsp;</a>

Let’s assume, in this case, the Indian model said that the satellites would be 1km apart, whereas the Russian model would have predicted that they would be 500m apart. It is also highly likely that in reality, both models went wrong and the satellites get closer than the prediction showed. Hence, there is no single model that works accurately, as each one can provide a different result. Another factor that could impact prediction models in low earth orbits is the impact of the drag from the Earth's atmosphere.&nbsp;

Some interesting questions in this scenario are - how or why did the respective agencies allow the satellites to get this close? Were there predictions that both sides performed? Given the close Indo-Russian cooperation on space technology, did the agencies foresee this close shave and coordinate? &nbsp;

Most importantly, why would the Russian agency go public with this information, rather than discuss with ISRO officials. Or did both the agencies have critical strategic functions that required the satellites to remain exactly in their respective orbits, despite knowing that they would make a close pass.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/isro-launches-pslv-c49-earth-imaging-satellite-into-space-341393">ISRO launches PSLV-C49 earth imaging satellite into space</a>

Is it possible that the agencies wanted to allow a close pass and then take a call on any possible manoeuvre in future? &nbsp;

The real danger posed by a possible collision of satellites would be the debris of varying sizes scattered across space in all directions, in high-speeds with high potential of harming other satellites.&nbsp;

The last large collision of satellites happened in 2009, when a US commercial Iridium spacecraft hit a defunct Russian satellite over Siberia, producing thousands of pieces of debris.

As of January 2020, there are around 2,000 active satellites orbiting the earth. There are also more than 23,000 pieces of debris larger than 10cm (4inches) in orbit, according to NASA.

WION did not receive a response from top ISRO officials, despite multiple attempts to reach out. The story will be updated if and when an ISRO response is available.&nbsp;

According to the Russian Space Agency, India’s Cartosat 2F weighing over 700kg dangerously approached the Kanopus-V spacecraft at 01:49UTC, on Friday, November 27.

According to the Russian Space Agency, India’s Cartosat 2F weighing over 700kg dangerously approached the Kanopus-V spacecraft at 01:49UTC, on Friday, November 27. In a tweet, Roscosmos has said that the minimum distance between both Russian and foreign satellite was 224 meters. Both the satellites are meant for earth’s remote sensing. How significant and dangerous is this? According to a source that spoke to WION on the condition of anonymity, 1 kilometre is an ideal distance between satellites in orbit, whereas 224 meter is scary and can be counted as a near miss. Generally, when two satellites are predicted (based on calculations) to make a close pass, a decision is taken to manoeuvre one of them away in advance (usually days ahead). Also read| India's proposed Venus mission attracts international payload proposals Given how space is getting increasingly crowded with satellites that are used for various purposes, it is said to be normal for agencies to manoeuvre one of their satellites every 3-4 weeks. It is notable that low Earth orbit (500-2000km) is the most congested, with satellites of various sizes — ranging from 10cm cubes to ones that are the size of a car or larger. However, the decision to manoeuvre is not very easy. Especially, when the satellite is performing a strategic role that requires it to be at a particular spot. Because the manoeuvre would affect the schedule of the pre-planned operation of surveillance (in whatever form). In this case, Roscosmos has said that both are remote sensing satellites, which implies that they in all likelihood used for strategic purposes. The space community has been divided over the prediction models for tracking satellites in orbit. The existing ones are the European Model, American model, Russian model, whereas the Indian model is under development. The reason that the space community hotly debates the efficiency of the models is that there are differences between the calculations made using each model. Also read| India to launch Bhutanese satellite; train its engineers Let’s assume, in this case, the Indian model said that the satellites would be 1km apart, whereas the Russian model would have predicted that they would be 500m apart. It is also highly likely that in reality, both models went wrong and the satellites get closer than the prediction showed. Hence, there is no single model that works accurately, as each one can provide a different result. Another factor that could impact prediction models in low earth orbits is the impact of the drag from the Earth's atmosphere. Some interesting questions in this scenario are - how or why did the respective agencies allow the satellites to get this close? Were there predictions that both sides performed? Given the close Indo-Russian cooperation on space technology, did the agencies foresee this close shave and coordinate? Most importantly, why would the Russian agency go public with this information, rather than discuss with ISRO officials. Or did both the agencies have critical strategic functions that required the satellites to remain exactly in their respective orbits, despite knowing that they would make a close pass. Also read| ISRO launches PSLV-C49 earth imaging satellite into space Is it possible that the agencies wanted to allow a close pass and then take a call on any possible manoeuvre in future? The real danger posed by a possible collision of satellites would be the debris of varying sizes scattered across space in all directions, in high-speeds with high potential of harming other satellites. The last large collision of satellites happened in 2009, when a US commercial Iridium spacecraft hit a defunct Russian satellite over Siberia, producing thousands of pieces of debris. As of January 2020, there are around 2,000 active satellites orbiting the earth. There are also more than 23,000 pieces of debris larger than 10cm (4inches) in orbit, according to NASA. WION did not receive a response from top ISRO officials, despite multiple attempts to reach out. The story will be updated if and when an ISRO response is available.

Indian ISRO satellite flew dangerously close to Russian sat, says Roscosmos

Russia's Soyuz spacecraft takes quickest crew trip to International Space Station

A three-person crew has successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, the Russian space agency&nbsp;Roscosmos confirmed.

The manner aircraft&nbsp;SoyuzMS17 successfully docked to the&nbsp;to the Russian segment of the International Space Station. It launched from Baikonur cosmodrome and had&nbsp;Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and&nbsp;NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins on board.

It has become the first spacecraft in the world that&nbsp;made only two orbits around the Earth. This was also the first time ever that a spacecraft took&nbsp;"a record short three hours and three minutes."

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Есть закрытие крюков! <a href="https://t.co/XzM9coce0b">pic.twitter.com/XzM9coce0b</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1316301567277047809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Explaining about the mission, the International Space Station tweeted, "The Exp 64 crew will soon board the station to begin a six-month research mission after the hatch opens at about 6:45am ET."

As per reports, this is also being reported as the last Russian flight to carry a US crew member.&nbsp;“We have an incredible partnership,” Rubins said in an interview from Russia's Star City before her flight. “We'll continue to train crews over here and we're going to have cosmonauts come to the Johnson Space Center and train.”

The launch also co-incided with Kathleen Rubins' birthday.

A three-person crew has successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos confirmed. The manner aircraft SoyuzMS17 successfully docked to the to the Russian segment of the International Space Station.

A three-person crew has successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos confirmed. The manner aircraft SoyuzMS17 successfully docked to the to the Russian segment of the International Space Station. It launched from Baikonur cosmodrome and had Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins on board. It has become the first spacecraft in the world that made only two orbits around the Earth. This was also the first time ever that a spacecraft took "a record short three hours and three minutes." Есть закрытие крюков! pic.twitter.com/XzM9coce0b — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) October 14, 2020 × Explaining about the mission, the International Space Station tweeted, "The Exp 64 crew will soon board the station to begin a six-month research mission after the hatch opens at about 6:45am ET." As per reports, this is also being reported as the last Russian flight to carry a US crew member. “We have an incredible partnership,” Rubins said in an interview from Russia's Star City before her flight. “We'll continue to train crews over here and we're going to have cosmonauts come to the Johnson Space Center and train.” The launch also co-incided with Kathleen Rubins' birthday.

Three astronauts dock at ISS within three hours of launch

Right after scientists discovered the possibility of life on the planet Venus, the Russian space agency has claimed the country’s ownership on the planet.

Russian space organisation Roscosmos intends to explore Venus independently.&nbsp;

The head of Russia's space corporation Dmitry Rogozin even announced initiating a national project to study the planet.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/potential-sign-of-alien-life-detected-on-inhospitable-venus-327530" hreflang="en">Potential sign of alien life detected on inhospitable Venus</a>

According to the space agency, the first missions to explore the Earth's distant neighbour were carried out by the Soviet Union. Does this give them an upper hand to claim the planet as their own?

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Roscosmos&nbsp;in a statement said that the enormous gap between the Soviet Union and its competitors in the investigation of Venus contributed to the fact that the United States called Venus a Soviet planet.

The new project would be in addition to the "venera-d" project that the Russians are currently working on with the US space agency NASA.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/not-a-dormant-planet-venus-is-home-to-37-recently-active-volcanic-structures-314808" hreflang="en">Not a dormant planet: Venus is home to 37 recently active volcanic structures!</a>

Earlier it was said that Russia is planning to cut down their international partners on Venera-d project to limit international interference.

But later, Russian media reported that the space agency would launch a separate project to explore Venus.

Scientists have recently discovered that the planet Venus contains phosphine gas that hints towards a possible existence of micro organisms on the planet.

Right after scientists discovered the possibility of life on the planet Venus, the Russian space agency has claimed the country’s ownership on the planet. Russian space organisation Roscosmos intends to explore Venus independently.

Right after scientists discovered the possibility of life on the planet Venus, the Russian space agency has claimed the country’s ownership on the planet. Russian space organisation Roscosmos intends to explore Venus independently. The head of Russia's space corporation Dmitry Rogozin even announced initiating a national project to study the planet. Also read: Potential sign of alien life detected on inhospitable Venus According to the space agency, the first missions to explore the Earth's distant neighbour were carried out by the Soviet Union. Does this give them an upper hand to claim the planet as their own? × Roscosmos in a statement said that the enormous gap between the Soviet Union and its competitors in the investigation of Venus contributed to the fact that the United States called Venus a Soviet planet. The new project would be in addition to the "venera-d" project that the Russians are currently working on with the US space agency NASA. Also read: Not a dormant planet: Venus is home to 37 recently active volcanic structures! Earlier it was said that Russia is planning to cut down their international partners on Venera-d project to limit international interference. But later, Russian media reported that the space agency would launch a separate project to explore Venus. Scientists have recently discovered that the planet Venus contains phosphine gas that hints towards a possible existence of micro organisms on the planet.

Is Venus a 'Russian planet'? The country's space agency chief seems to think so!

In one of the rare instances, three crew members onboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be spending the weekend in the Russian area of the vessel.

NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russia’s Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin will be shifting to be able to search for the source of a cabin air leak, NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos announced.

“In September 2019, NASA and its international partners first saw indications of a slight increase above the standard cabin air leak rate,” NASA said in a statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/growing-dent-on-earths-magnetic-field-can-damage-satellites-and-navigation-321602">Also read:&nbsp;Growing dent on Earth’s magnetic field can damage satellites and navigation</a>

According to sources, the leak was identified by a machine used to measure the amount of&nbsp;nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the station. The machine is reportedly used by the Russian segment of the vessel.

The process is something that has been taught to the crew members during their training and is considered to be in the&nbsp;on-board documentation.

This decision was taken by&nbsp;Roscosmos and NASA jointly. Both the bodies have assured that there is no danger to the crew or thr space station.

In one of the rare instances, three crew members onboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be spending the weekend in the Russian area of the vessel. NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russia’s Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin will be shifting to be able to search for the source of a cabin air leak, NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos announced.

In one of the rare instances, three crew members onboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be spending the weekend in the Russian area of the vessel. NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russia’s Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin will be shifting to be able to search for the source of a cabin air leak, NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos announced. “In September 2019, NASA and its international partners first saw indications of a slight increase above the standard cabin air leak rate,” NASA said in a statement. Also read: Growing dent on Earth’s magnetic field can damage satellites and navigation According to sources, the leak was identified by a machine used to measure the amount of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the station. The machine is reportedly used by the Russian segment of the vessel. The process is something that has been taught to the crew members during their training and is considered to be in the on-board documentation. This decision was taken by Roscosmos and NASA jointly. Both the bodies have assured that there is no danger to the crew or thr space station.

ISS crew switch cabins to look for source of small cabin air leak

Russian authorities have detained a former journalist and a close aide to the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos on Tuesday on treason charges, as per the agency.

Russian authorities have detained a former journalist and a close aide to the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos on Tuesday on treason charges, as per the agency. Also read: Exiled Uighurs approach ICC for seeking justice against Chinese 'genocide' Roscosmos have said that the probe against Ivan Safranov is underway and that he was "fully cooperating with the investigative authorities". According to the reports, Safronov's detention was not linked with his work for Roscosmos, where he worked as an advisor to General Director Dmitry Rogozin. A source told news agency Interfax that Safronov's detention could be linked to his earlier work in journalism and that he did not have clearance to access state secrets as a Roscomos employee. Safranov is expected to appear in the court later on Tuesday. Ivan Safronov worked in Russian daily newspapers Kommersant and Vedomosti he used to report on politics, the military, and Russia's space programmes. In 2019, Kommersant removed from its website an article co-authored by Safronov about the delivery of Russian jets to Egypt after court proceedings into the disclosure of state secrets. He was forced to resign from Kommersant in May last year after a report alleging the speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament was planning to step down. The entire politics desk of the newspaper resigned in protest against the dismissal of Safronov and another colleague whose name appeared on the story. (Inputs from AFP)

Former journalist and aide to Russian space chief held on treason charges

After the launch of&nbsp;Crew Dragon, Donald Trump addressed the attendees in the room and said&nbsp;the United States had regained its place as the world’s leader in space, that US female astronauts will be the first to reach the moon, US&nbsp;astronauts would be the first ones to land on Mars soon. He also claimed that Washington would soon have “the greatest weapons ever imagined in history.”

As Donald Trump made the comment,&nbsp;Vladimir Ustimenko, spokesman for Roscosmos,&nbsp;Russia’s space agency, took to Twitter to describe Trump's comments as nothing but mere hysteria.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacexs-astronaut-riding-dragon-arrives-at-space-station-302203">Also read:&nbsp;SpaceX's astronaut-riding Dragon arrives at space station</a>

"The hysteria that arose after the successful launch of the Crew Dragon ship is not very clear. What happened was to happen a long time ago. Now, not only Russians will fly to the ISS, but also Americans. So that's great!,"&nbsp; he tweeted.

"It is very important to have at least two possibilities to reach the station. After all, it’s not enough ... Everything happened in space, and you must have at least two transport systems capable of ensuring the presence of crews of different countries on board the ISS," he added.

Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin also took to Twitter to congratulate&nbsp;NASA chief Jim Bridenstine for the success. “Bravo! I know how anxious you were for this major event to become a success,” he wrote.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trampoline-is-working-musk-taunts-russian-space-agency-chief-302172">Also read:&nbsp;'Trampoline is working': Musk taunts Russian space agency chief</a>

Rogozin, however, joked and said he appreciated the joke made by Elon Musk, as a reply to&nbsp;his joke that he made in 2014 that the United States should try using a trampoline to get to the ISS. Elon Musk had replied to the 2014 joke by saying, "the trampoline is working”.

Ustimenko said Russia is&nbsp;planning to test two new rockets this year and will be&nbsp;resuming its lunar programme next years.

"This year we will test two new missiles, and next year we will resume our Lunar program. It will be interesting!," he confirmed through his tweet.

After the launch of Crew Dragon, Donald Trump addressed the attendees in the room and said the United States had regained its place as the world’s leader in space, that US female astronauts will be the first to reach the moon, US astronauts would be the first ones to land on Mars soon.

After the launch of Crew Dragon, Donald Trump addressed the attendees in the room and said the United States had regained its place as the world’s leader in space, that US female astronauts will be the first to reach the moon, US astronauts would be the first ones to land on Mars soon. He also claimed that Washington would soon have “the greatest weapons ever imagined in history.” As Donald Trump made the comment, Vladimir Ustimenko, spokesman for Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, took to Twitter to describe Trump's comments as nothing but mere hysteria. Also read: SpaceX's astronaut-riding Dragon arrives at space station "The hysteria that arose after the successful launch of the Crew Dragon ship is not very clear. What happened was to happen a long time ago. Now, not only Russians will fly to the ISS, but also Americans. So that's great!," he tweeted. "It is very important to have at least two possibilities to reach the station. After all, it’s not enough ... Everything happened in space, and you must have at least two transport systems capable of ensuring the presence of crews of different countries on board the ISS," he added. Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin also took to Twitter to congratulate NASA chief Jim Bridenstine for the success. “Bravo! I know how anxious you were for this major event to become a success,” he wrote. Also read: 'Trampoline is working': Musk taunts Russian space agency chief Rogozin, however, joked and said he appreciated the joke made by Elon Musk, as a reply to his joke that he made in 2014 that the United States should try using a trampoline to get to the ISS. Elon Musk had replied to the 2014 joke by saying, "the trampoline is working”. Ustimenko said Russia is planning to test two new rockets this year and will be resuming its lunar programme next years. "This year we will test two new missiles, and next year we will resume our Lunar program. It will be interesting!," he confirmed through his tweet.

Trampoline is working, hysteria is not; Russian space agency taunts Donald Trump

In 2014, Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin took a dig at NASA for the lack of US manned flight programme and said, they will "deliver its astronauts to the ISS by using a trampoline".

After six years, Elon Musk and NASA launched two Americans into orbit from Florida on Saturday in a landmark mission. To which Musk responded, "The trampoline is working." SpaceX CEO made this statement alongside NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. Both men laughed after that. "It's an inside joke," Musk added.

After this launch, Musk's SpaceX became the first private rocket company to send humans into orbit. &nbsp;

Netizens began trolling Dmitry Rogozin for his remarks he made years ago and they compared it to the situation after launch.&nbsp;

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Dmitry Rogozin in 2014: "US should use a trampoline to get into space" <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> 2020: "The trampoline is working 🤣" <a href="https://t.co/OKu4JF5i0M">pic.twitter.com/OKu4JF5i0M</a>
— Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) <a href="https://twitter.com/PPathole/status/1267000614002683906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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“The trampoline is working” <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> joking about a 2014 zing from Roscosmos’ Dmitry Rogozin, “After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline” 😂
— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) <a href="https://twitter.com/Erdayastronaut/status/1266866641704534021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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How do you like it, Dmitry Rogozin?
— Донна Роза де Альвадорец (@deAlvadorec) <a href="https://twitter.com/deAlvadorec/status/1266653331080036352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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After the launch of Falcon 9, Rogozin remained conspicuously silent but his spokesman was forced to react.

"We don't really understand the hysteria sparked by the successful launch of a Crew Dragon spacecraft," spokesman Vladimir Ustimenko said on Twitter.&nbsp;

"What should have happened a long time ago happened," he added.

While Sergey Krikalev,&nbsp;&nbsp;Roscosmos executive director for crewed space programmes, congratulated US for the launch.&nbsp;

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Roscosmos Executive Director on Crewed Space Programs Sergey Krikalev address on the successful Falcon 9 carrier rocket launch with Crew Dragon crewed spacecraft <a href="https://t.co/25pDIdIXLe">pic.twitter.com/25pDIdIXLe</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1266821703478411265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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In 2014, Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin took a dig at NASA for the lack of US manned flight programme and said, they will "deliver its astronauts to the ISS by using a trampoline".

In 2014, Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin took a dig at NASA for the lack of US manned flight programme and said, they will "deliver its astronauts to the ISS by using a trampoline". After six years, Elon Musk and NASA launched two Americans into orbit from Florida on Saturday in a landmark mission. To which Musk responded, "The trampoline is working." SpaceX CEO made this statement alongside NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. Both men laughed after that. "It's an inside joke," Musk added. After this launch, Musk's SpaceX became the first private rocket company to send humans into orbit. Netizens began trolling Dmitry Rogozin for his remarks he made years ago and they compared it to the situation after launch. Dmitry Rogozin in 2014: "US should use a trampoline to get into space" @elonmusk 2020: "The trampoline is working 🤣" pic.twitter.com/OKu4JF5i0M — Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) May 31, 2020 × “The trampoline is working” @elonmusk joking about a 2014 zing from Roscosmos’ Dmitry Rogozin, “After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline” 😂 — Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) May 30, 2020 × How do you like it, Dmitry Rogozin? — Донна Роза де Альвадорец (@deAlvadorec) May 30, 2020 × After the launch of Falcon 9, Rogozin remained conspicuously silent but his spokesman was forced to react. "We don't really understand the hysteria sparked by the successful launch of a Crew Dragon spacecraft," spokesman Vladimir Ustimenko said on Twitter. "What should have happened a long time ago happened," he added. While Sergey Krikalev, Roscosmos executive director for crewed space programmes, congratulated US for the launch. Roscosmos Executive Director on Crewed Space Programs Sergey Krikalev address on the successful Falcon 9 carrier rocket launch with Crew Dragon crewed spacecraft pic.twitter.com/25pDIdIXLe — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) May 30, 2020 ×

'Trampoline is working': Musk taunts Russian space agency chief

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