- Two cosmonauts and one astronaut flew to the ISS in a Soyuz rocket in a rare instance of Moscow-Washington cooperation.
- The three will spend six months on the ISS.
- Space is one of the last remaining areas of cooperation between the US and Russia.
A US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts have arrived safely at the International Space Station (ISS) after blasting off on a Russian-operated flight in a rare instance of cooperation between Moscow and Washington. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, and Nasa both distributed live footage on Wednesday of the launch from Kazakhstan.
Ties that Bind
Nasa’s Frank Rubio and Russia’s Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin made up the crew that launched from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome. The three will spend six months on the ISS along with three other Russian cosmonauts, three other US astronauts, and one Italian. Rubio is the first US astronaut to travel to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz rocket since the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, sent troops into Ukraine. Space is one of the last remaining areas of cooperation between the US and Russia. Russia’s only female cosmonaut, Anna Kikina, is expected to travel to the orbital station in early October onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Russian cosmonauts and western astronauts have sought to steer clear of the conflict that is raging back on Earth, especially when in orbit together.
ISS: The Wonder in Space
Launched in 1998 at a time of hope for US-Russia cooperation following their space race competition during the cold war, the ISS is a collaboration among the US, Canada, Japan, the European Space Agency and Russia, and is split into two sections: the US orbital segment and the Russian orbital segment. At present, the ISS depends on a Russian propulsion system to maintain its orbit, about 250 miles above sea level, with the US segment responsible for electricity and life support systems.
Tensions in the space field have grown since Washington announced sanctions on Moscow’s aerospace industry – triggering warnings from Russia’s former space chief Dmitry Rogozin, an ardent supporter of the Ukraine war. Rogozin’s recently appointed successor, Yury Borisov, later confirmed Russia’s long-mooted move to leave the ISS after 2024 in favor of creating its own orbital station. Space analysts say construction of a new orbital station could take more than a decade, and Russia’s space industry – a point of national pride – would not be able to flourish under heavy sanctions.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe
Source: TheGuardian
