Representatives of Russia were expelled from the expert group, which is discussing the prospects for creating an international near-moon station Gateway. A source in the rocket and space industry told RIA Novosti.
“Representatives of Russia are excluded from the discussion on this topic, excluded from the mailing of letters, discussions, access to materials,” said the agency's interlocutor.
The decision was taken after repeated statements by the Russian side about its unwillingness to participate in the project.
The press service of the state corporation “Roscosmos” said that the last time they participated in such a meeting in June 2020.
In October 2020, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed Artemis agreements to jointly create the Gateway circumnavigation station. At the same time, Russia was entrusted with the manufacture of only one module of the station – the gateway for space walks, the main contribution to the project was to be made by the United States.
In the same month, Dmitry Rogozin, the general director of Roscosmos, refused to sign agreements with NASA on the joint exploration of the moon, saying that the Artemis program and its associated lunar station Gateway are “American-centric.” The United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom have joined the corresponding document.
