US astronaut taken to space station by Russia

Baikonur, Kazakhstan — A Russian spacecraft safely delivered an American astronaut Jonathan Kim and two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, a flight hailed by Moscow as an example of fruitful Russia-US space co-operation.

The Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying Kim and Russians Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky, docking three hours later with the ISS, Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation said.

Once the hatches were opened, Kim and the Russians were shown smiling and hugging their companions on the station, which now has 10 people on board, including four Nasa astronauts, five Russians and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.

“Throughout his eight-month stay aboard the orbital outpost, Kim will conduct scientific research in technology development, Earth science, biology, human research, and more,” Nasa said in a statement.

President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy on Tuesday hailed US-Russia space co-operation after the Russian rocket blasted off for the ISS.

Kirill Dmitriev, who is trying to spur a reset in US-Russia ties and held talks in Washington last week, said Tuesday’s launch was the latest example of an enduring relationship which traced its history back to 1975.

That was when the first crewed international space mission carried out jointly by the US and the Soviet Union saw an Apollo and a Soyuz dock in space.

That mission, which featured the first international handshake in space, was a symbol of Cold War detente.

“Russian and US co-operation in the space industry continues today,” Dmitriev said on Tuesday, posting a video on his official Telegram channel of the Soyuz rocket blasting off.

Despite sweeping US sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war in Ukraine, space is one area where co-operation has continued.

Dmitriev, who has talked up the possibility of joint Russian-US investment in the Arctic and in the development of Russian rare earths, has said Moscow could supply a small nuclear power plant for a mission to Mars planned by billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

However, with the ISS nearing the end of its service life, Russia plans to go it alone with its own space station, for which it plans to launch the first two modules in 2027. It is also expanding its co-operation with China in space exploration.

Reuters