Historic Space Collaboration: NASA and Roscosmos Launch Joint Crew

Russia launched two cosmonauts and an American astronaut from Kazakhstan to the International Space Station. This mission marked resumption of crewed flights from a recently repaired launchpad, attended by NASA and Russia's space agency heads. The crew will spend eight months on the ISS as its 75th rotation crew.

In a significant international collaboration, Russia successfully launched two cosmonauts along with an American astronaut to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan on Tuesday. This endeavor marks the resumption of crewed flights from a recently repaired launchpad, with the notable joint presence of NASA and Roscosmos leaders.

The American astronaut, Anil Menon, and Russian cosmonauts, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, embarked on their space journey aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Lift-off took place at 10:47 a.m. EDT, beginning their anticipated eight-month mission on the ISS.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visited Baikonur to witness the launch, the first visit by a NASA chief to this site since 2018. Previous tensions from the Russia-Ukraine conflict had hindered such visits. This mission, Expedition 75, is a notable step in international space cooperation and the latest chapter in a historically pioneering space alliance.