Russia says it will no longer send rocket engines to the United States, in retaliation for sanctions.
The head of the Russian state space agency Roscosmos said it will also stop servicing rocket engines it has supplied to the U.S., according to Reuters.
Dmitry Rogozin said on state Russian tv, “in a situation like this we can't supply the United States with our world's best rocket engines. Let them fly on something else, their broomsticks, I don't know what.”
United Launch Alliance is owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The company uses Russian-made RD-180 engines on its Atlas V rocket, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It currently has 24 rocket engines that will no longer be serviced by Russia.
But the company doesn’t seem to be worried.
It says it has enough motors to continue with upcoming missions.
If United Launch Alliance did need more rocket engines, they would also have the option of using the Vulcan, made by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
As for Roscosmos, Rogozin said it will now focus on producing spacecraft for Russia and the Defense Ministry.
