The European Space Agency said that the war in Ukraine showed that cooperation with the Russian Federation no longer works.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Elon Musk’s company are discussing the possibility of using SpaceX launchers instead of Russian Soyuz rockets .

It is reported by  Reuters .

In addition, options for cooperation with Japan and India are being considered.play video

“I would say that we are discussing two and a half options. One is SpaceX, and this is understandable. The other is possibly Japan. Japan is waiting for the first flight of its next generation rocket. The other option could be India. I would say that SpaceX is the most operational of them and, of course, this is one of the contingency plans that we are considering,” said ESA CEO Josef Aschbacher.

The negotiations are currently under study. The Office must satisfy itself that such a substitution is possible. In particular, the interface between the satellite and the rocket must be appropriate, and vibrations during launch must not compromise the load.

“We are considering technical compatibility, but we have not prepared a commercial proposal yet,” Aschbacher added.

According to him, the war in Ukraine showed that the ten-year strategy of cooperation between Europe and Russia no longer works.

“It was a wake-up call that we were too dependent on Russia. I hope that the people who make decisions realize, just like me, that we must really strengthen our European wealth and independence,” Josef Aschbacher summed up.

Recall that a little earlier, the Russian Federation announced its withdrawal from the International Space Station .

(C)UNIAN 2022