Shame on the legislature and executive branches for allowing our space program to decline so far as to come to this. It’s time to fast track Elon Musks Space X and his upstart competition. . Stop using Russian engines. Design, build and launch from the United States. That is the responsible path forward.

MOSCOW, May 13 (Reuters) - Russia cast doubt on the long-term future of the International Space Station, a showcase of post-Cold War cooperation, as it retaliated on Tuesday against U.S. sanctions over Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Moscow would reject a U.S. request to prolong the orbiting station’s use beyond 2020. It will also bar Washington from using Russian-made rocket engines to launch military satellites.

Moscow took the action, which also included suspending operation of GPS satellite navigation system sites on its territory from June, in response to U.S. plans to deny export licences for high-technology items that could help the Russian military.

“We are very concerned about continuing to develop high-tech projects with such an unreliable partner as the United States, which politicises everything,” Rogozin told a news conference.

More: Russia Targets Space Station Project in Retaliation for U.S. Sanctions