An American astronaut has just blasted off into space (for an eight month mission) with two Russian astronauts onboard a Russian spacecraft from the Cosmodrome in Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
Below: Two Russians and one American astronaut just before they took off into space onboard Soyuz MS29.
On 14 July 2026, Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft launched successfully from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, carrying one NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is another example of continued U.S.-Russian cooperation on the ISS despite broader geopolitical tensions.
The three crew members aboard are:
Anil Menon (NASA, United States) – making his first spaceflight.
Pyotr Dubrov (Roscosmos, Russia) – Soyuz commander, on his second spaceflight.
Anna Kikina (Roscosmos, Russia) – on her second spaceflight; she previously became the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission in 2022.
The crew is expected to spend about eight months aboard the ISS conducting scientific experiments and station maintenance before returning to Earth.
The launch was also notable because NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch and met with Roscosmos Director Dmitry Bakanov, the first visit by a NASA chief to Baikonur in about eight years.
So all the tensions and all the sanctions etc are just wayang. Here is more wayang:
US-Russia trade in 2025 totaled approximately $4.64 billion, with the US importing $4.05 billion and exporting $593 million. The top imports from Russia were heavily skewed toward industrial supplies, with fertilizers ($1.79 billion) making up the largest category. Other critical imports included uranium and radioactive materials, palladium, and precious metals.
The trade volume is a lot less (used to be US30 billion before) but there is still trade going on between the US and Russia - US$4.6 billion in 2025.
