The astronaut was accused by Russia of sabotaging the ISS

Accusation of undermining international cooperation in space. On August 12, the Russian news agency TASS published an article accusing astronaut Serena Aun-president of sabotaging the International Space Station (ISS).

According to Russia, the American actually dug a hole in the Soyuz block, so she was quickly sent back to Earth when she suffered a health problem while in orbit. The allegation comes from an anonymous senior official of the Russian company Roscosmos for Russian space operations.

Asked by Das, This evidence indicates that the hole in question may not have been a manufacturing defect or arrived before departure. The volume was specifically tested in a vacuum chamber, so it would have been detected, he stressed. The leak was discovered at the end of August 2018, and although the matter has been investigated, no official cause has yet been announced by Russia. According to experts, the crew was never in danger.

A Russian departure?

For its part, NASA supports its astronaut. Kathy Louders, head of the U.S. agency’s human spaceflight, declared on social media that “these allegations are not credible.” Same story with Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, He said he “fully supported Serena”.

There has been a media confrontation between Russia and the United States in recent weeks as Moscow has threatened to leave the ISS. CNBC He explained that if Washington had not actually lifted sanctions on Russia, leaving the project would be a way to build their own space station. However, Reuters explained that the two countries had little time left to resolve their differences and that a possible departure would not take place until 2025.