Years of scientific research between Russia and the west is lost in no man’s land

Russia has a talented scientific community, one that the west relies upon for many projects here on Earth and in space. So what happens now? Steven Cutts explains

It will be years before the international community feels relaxed enough to get involved in Russian science once more (Getty/The Independent)

Aside from the death and destruction seen on our television screens, the conflict in Ukraine has created havoc for scientists all around the planet. Men and women who have spent their entire careers trying to foster relations between Russia and the west are seeing their life’s work cancelled or delayed.

Although the Russian economy is smaller than that of Italy’s, it retains an impressive scientific community and has long punched above its weight on the international stage. In the aftermath of the recent invasion, most if not all of these projects are now on hold. For a project like the International Space Station (ISS), Russian participation is so intimate that a formal separation is almost inconceivable.

The impact on unmanned spaceflight is even worse. The Rosalind Franklin robotic probe is a joint attempt to send a European built rover to the Red Planet. Ironically, it was due to be launched a couple of years ago but managed to miss its launch window. All things seemed set for a launch in September of this year with a landing about six months later.