Holding the station: will Russian Federation and the U.S. increase cooperation in space with the arrival of Trump

Cooperation between Roscosmos and NASA on the ISS program continues after the arrival of the new administration in the United States, the state corporation's press service told Izvestia. Working contacts between the two structures are maintained on a regular basis, and Russian representatives participate in the work of the Multilateral Coordination Council on the ISS program. The new US President Donald Trump considers the space program one of the priorities of his administration, so it is possible to strengthen cooperation between Moscow and Washington in this area, experts believe. How exactly the two countries can strengthen cooperation in space and whether Russia is interested in it - in the material of "Izvestia".

How Roscosmos and NASAcooperate

"Roscosmos" and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) continue cooperation within the framework of the International Space Station (ISS) after the arrival of the new administration in the United States, reported "Izvestia" in the press service of the state corporation. Implementation of the ISS program continues in accordance with previously reached agreements and signed international documents. The Russian side fulfills all its obligations, and working contacts with NASA are maintained on a regular basis, Roscosmos noted.

- Our representatives participate in the work of technical working groups. We take part in meetings on operational readiness and flight readiness in preparation for launches of transport cargo and manned spacecraft (both Russian and American). We participate in meetings of the Multilateral Coordination Council for the ISS program. Starting from 2022, Russian-American cooperation on cross-flight missions to the ISS continues," the press service of the state corporation said.

Earlier, Russia and the United States extended the agreement on cross-flights to the ISS, three such expeditions are planned in 2025-2026. Cross flights of mixed crews, when on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft one seat is occupied by a U.S. astronaut, and on the U.S. Crew Dragon flies one Russian, on the ISS began in 2022. They are necessary for the stable operation of the station, so that the Russian and American segments always had specialists from each country.

Moreover, cooperation continues, even despite sanctions from Washington against some enterprises of the Russian space industry. In particular, in 2022, the Russian Space Systems holding company, the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems JSC and the Lavochkin NPO were subjected to restrictions. In response, Russia stopped supplying the United States with RD-180 and RD-181 rocket engines manufactured by Energomash.

- The ISS program will end in 2028 or 2030, the station's resource is already exhausted, it should have finished its work back in 2015," Ivan Moiseyev, scientific director of the Space Policy Institute, told Izvestia.

In the future, Russia plans to create its own orbital station. Its main difference from the ISS will be the inclination of the orbit, which will allow to observe most of the Russian territory, while astronauts on the ISS can see only 10% of the Russian Federation. Deployment of the station is scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed by 2032. In addition, Russia is increasing cooperation with China in exploring the moon and the complementarity of GLONASS and Beidou navigation systems.

The Trump administration's plans for space

Moscow and Washington have a vast experience of cooperation in space since the Cold War. The most striking example of interaction was the Soyuz-Apollo program in 1975. The parties were able not only to overcome political differences, but also to resolve many technical issues, such as connecting the life support systems of the two spacecraft. From 1993 to 1998, the Mir-Shuttle program - flights of American ships to the Russian space station - was in operation. The ISS, in which Roscosmos and NASA play a leading role, became the apogee of cooperation.

The development of the space program is one of the priorities of the new US administration. In particular, in his inaugural speech, Donald Trump said that he intends to send an expedition to Mars. For the post of NASA director, the US President proposed Jared Isaacman - a billionaire who twice flew into space.

A big role in the formation of Washington's policy in space will be played by Ilon Musk, who has become, in fact, one of Trump's advisers (officially he does not hold this position) and the head of the Department of efficiency of the US government. Previously, he had proposed cooperation between the US and Russia in space. But that was before the start of the SWO.

Now the cooperation between Russia and the United States in space is actually reduced only to joint work within the framework of the ISS, said in May 2024, CEO of Roscosmos Yuri Borisov. In the future, Moscow and Washington could establish cooperation within the framework of the Artemis project to land a man on the moon, said Academician of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsiolkov. Igor Marinin, an academician of the K.E. Tsiolkovsky Russian Academy of Cosmonautics.

In April 2024, NASA Deputy Director Pamela Melroy said that Russia may join the Artemis program if it wishes. Previously, Russia considered participating in the Gateway near-lunar station program, but withdrew from the project in 2021 due to lack of interest.

- One of the options they can offer us is cooperation under the Artemis program. But we have our own program for the construction of a new orbital station and cooperation with China on lunar exploration, so we are not interested in the American program," said Igor Marinin.

At the same time, the Trump administration intends to review the current NASA programs, so the window of opportunity for cooperation will theoretically open only in six months or a year, said Igor Marinin. At the same time, Ilon Musk actively criticizes Artemis because of its high cost and constant postponements of launch dates. Therefore, the White House may change the plans, the expert believes. Musk has already promised that he will deliver people to the Moon in five years, and to Mars - in 7-9 years.

Does Russia need cooperation with the US on space programs?

On the other hand, Washington is likely to continue developing military programs in space, which began during Trump's first term, Ivan Moiseyev emphasizes. It was during the Republican's presidency - in 2019 - that the US Space Force was created. The budget of this branch of the military in 2024 amounted to almost $30 billion, which is $6 billion more than the entire NASA budget. At the same time, Russia has consistently opposed the militarization of space. In May 2024, Moscow submitted to the UN Security Council a draft resolution on preventing an arms race in space, which was blocked by Western countries.

Nevertheless, the issue of cooperation in space may become a topic for discussion during the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. In the American press, there is already an idea to offer Russia participation in missions to the Moon and Mars to speed up the negotiation process on Ukraine.

However, Russia is going its own way in space exploration, creating a promising spaceship for manned flights, the Soyuz-5 medium-class rocket and a number of other projects, Igor Marinin noted. And it is not a fact that our interests with the Americans in the field of space development will coincide. In the current political environment, it may be more favorable for Russia to cooperate with the BRICS countries, in particular with China, with which a cooperation agreement was signed in November 2022 on the construction of an international scientific lunar station.