US and Russia renew agreement to share space flight

American and Russian space agencies have signed an agreement to share flights to the International Space Station (ISS). After months of discussion, representatives of NASA and Roscosmos have reached a new alliance.

In the partnership, two Russian astronauts will be able to travel in US space transport, while the Americans will have two separate spaces aboard Russia’s Soyuz rocket.

In September, the first flights resulting from the new agreement will take place. The American Frank Rubio, along with other Russians Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, will fly to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

In exchange for the seat, astronaut Anna Kikina will travel to the ISS on a Crew Dragon rocket, accompanied by two American and a Japanese astronaut, departing from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

But Kikina shouldn’t just hitchhike. The engineer, the only active Russian cosmonaut, will guide the SpaceX company’s space capsule to its final destination. This spacecraft has been used by NASA on ISS missions since 2020.

American NASA and Russian Roscosmos are the main institutions involved in the operation of the ISS since its establishment. For decades, the alliance between the two has been seen as a symbol of the exploration of space for peaceful purposes.

The partnership was renewed after months of escalating tensions between Russia and the United States. The Americans do not approve of Russian troops occupying Ukrainian territory. Ending cooperation in operations aboard the ISS has been a topic in political conversations, but NASA says the conflicts do not affect existing agreements between the two countries.