Russia has decided to stop supplying rocket engines to the United States in retaliation for sanctions related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. They even quipped for America to rely on broomsticks alone. This sparked a response from Elon Musk.
"In a situation like this we cannot supply the US with our best rocket engines. Let them fly with something else, a broom maybe, I don't know," Rocosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said of US capabilities.
The broom in question most likely refers to a broomstick like the one in witch stories. It is clear that Russia doubts US capabilities without their supply of rocket engines.
According to Rogozin, Russia has delivered 122 RD-180 engines to the US, 98 of which have been used to power Atlas rockets. Roscosmos will also discontinue servicing of rocket engines previously delivered to the US. To date, the US still has 24 machines and Russia intends to leave it alone.
The broomstick satire apparently reached Elon Musk. On his Twitter account, the owner of SpaceX even posted the news, as well as highlighting the sentence delivered by Dmitry.
Musk responded by displaying a SpaceX satellite photo with the caption "Sweep America", complete with his country's flag decoration.
Elon Musk's reply to Russia's satire. Photo: Twitter
SpaceX itself is increasingly being relied on by NASA in space missions and reducing dependence on Russia. SpaceX's dragon capsule, for example, has taken astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) several times.
"Thank you Elon Musk for always acting and keeping us entertained in the process. We love you," wrote one netizen when reading Elon Musk's tweet.