How The Russia-Ukraine Conflict Could Become The First Space War

The International Space Station is caught in the crosshairs of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, sparking concerns over a space war.

For nearly 25 years, the US and Russia have worked together to maintain the ISS. However, amid wide-ranging, crippling sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in thousands of casualties, this working dynamic is in jeopardy.

Russian President's Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation' is set to put the country under the worst economic strain in 30 years, also threatening to sever Russia's aerospace industry from the global economy.

'When you're in space and you're flying around the Earth at 17,500 miles an hour and in a very hazardous environment, cooperation is the most important thing,' former astronaut Scott Kelly told ABC News.

The ISS is divided into two sections: the Russian Orbital Segment and the US Orbital Segment. Ever since 1998, both sides have worked in partnership above the Earth, to the point US astronauts like Cady Coleman have relied on Russian rockets to help her board the station.

'Space is hard and space is dangerous. And in my experience... with our Russian partners it means sitting down, having a meal together. It means talking about what's hard for you, what's hard for them and how together we can get this accomplished. [We] look each other in the eye and realise that we're all about the same thing,' Coleman told the outlet.

Things have changed in recent weeks. While it's hard to imagine any specific bad blood between astronauts and cosmonauts, the US and Russia are at odds over Putin's invasion of Ukraine, with President Joe Biden imposing hefty sanctions on Russia's high-tech imports.

'It'll degrade their aerospace industry, including their space program,' he said, though NASA then urged 'no changes are planned' with regards to US-Russia cooperation.

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's Space Agency and a close ally of Putin, then issued an alarming threat: he said he may abandon Mark Vande Hei, who was set to return to Earth this month, and detach the Russian segment of the space station.

'I was just enraged that he, the [cosmonauts], said that they were going to leave an American crew member behind. I never thought I would ever hear anything so outrageous,' Kelly said.

NASA hasn't commented on Rogozin's threats to abandon Vande Hei, while Rogozin posted a rather strange tweet directed at Kelly. 'Get off, you moron! Otherwise the death of the #ISS will be on your conscience,' he wrote, later deleting it. 'Dimon, why did you delete this tweet? Don’t want everyone to see what kind of child you are?' Kelly wrote alongside a screenshot of his tweet, at which point he blocked the astronaut.

In a tweet slamming former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, Kelly also wrote: 'Mr. Medvedev, I am returning to you the Russian medal For Merit in Space Exploration, which you presented to me. Please give it to a Russian mother whose son died in this unjust war. I will mail the medal to the Russian embassy in Washington. Good luck.'

'I just hope people realise and want to keep this partnership together because it is one of the few things that unites all of humanity together. I think one of the biggest successes of the International Space Station is the international aspect of giving us something to work on together, that makes us friends,' Kelly added in his interview.

Roscosmos, Russia's space programme, has also reportedly banned employees from travelling abroad, even to Russian allies. 'Consider this executive order by Rogozin, the CEO of a state-owned Roskosmos aerospace company. He prohibited his employees to go abroad, correctly understanding they might not return,' Kamil Galeev, a Moscow-based journalist, tweeted.

Rogozin also shared a photo from town of the world's oldest space-launch facility in Kazakhstan, with Baikonur residents and cars seemingly forming Vs and Zs in support of Russian forces.

However, this doesn't echo Kazakhstan's general position, with authorities towing the line of neutrality to avoid the wrath of sanctions hitting Russia every day. While Rogozin described it as a 'a demonstration in support of V.V. Putin and the armed forces of Russia', others have seen it as unwillingly-orchestrated propaganda, eurasianet reports.

Baikonur 'is endowed with a status corresponding to the city of federal significance of the Russian Federation, with a special regime for the safe operation of facilities, enterprises and organisations, as well as the residence of citizens', a bilateral agreement states, with the mayor approved by both Russia and Kazakhstan, and Moscow proposing the candidate.

While this leaves the town as a grey area when looking at nationwide support, Russian figures have made claims that Kazakhstan hosts nine biological weapons laboratories controlled by 'American agents' close to the border, and criticised the lack of support, setting the stage for further tensions.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information