Germany is flexing its muscles. The German government recently announced a massive increase in military spending to counter Russian military action in Europe. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has cancelled its bilateral cooperation with Russia following that move. It looks like the Spektr-RG space telescope, a joint mission between Russia and Germany, is the first … Continue reading 'Germany’s Space Agency Cancels all its Projects With Russia. They Even Turned off an Instrument on a Russian Space Telescope'
Germany’s Space Agency Cancels all its Projects With Russia. They Even Turned off an Instrument on a Russian Space TelescopeThe German government recently announced a massive increase in military spending to counter Russian military action in Europe. The German Aerospace Center has cancelled its bilateral cooperation with Russia following that move. It looks like the
“As one of the largest research organizations in Europe, the German Aerospace Center is committed to engaging in international cooperation for the benefit of society and industry. DLR employs staff from 96 countries. They stand for the peaceful coexistence of all nations and peoples. Violence should never be a means to achieve objectives of any kind. We, therefore, view the developments in Ukraine with grave concern and condemn Russia’s hostile actions.
All collaboration activities with Russian institutions on current projects or projects in the planning stage will be terminated.“Where necessary, DLR will enter into coordination with other national and international partners.” Dmitry Rogozin does not come across as a sober-minded individual. On his Twitter account, he engages in unhinged threats and mockery of people like American astronaut Scott Kelly.
Germany isn’t the only entity ending its cooperative space activities with Russia. OneWeb, a satellite communications company in the UK, also cancelled its working arrangement with Roscosmos. OneWeb is launching a constellation of over 600 communication satellites on Russian rockets at theOneWeb has cancelled its launch agreements with Roscosmos. Image Credit: OneWeb
So now, the DLR has cancelled their scientific relationship with Russia and put the future of the Spektr-RG mission in doubt. There are about four years left in that mission, and eROSITA has completed four of its eight planned sky surveys. The mission cost approximately $600 million, and it’s not clear if the mission will be completed or whether it can be adequately completed without German expertise.