NASA chief visits Russia's space launchpad for U.S.-Russian crew launch

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visited Russia’s space launchpad at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan ahead of a scheduled U.S.-Russian crew launch to the International Space Station. The trip, according to the report, is the first by a NASA chief in eight years and signals continued cooperation in orbit despite tensions over Russia’s 2022 actions in Ukraine. Isaacman met with the crew Monday and thanked Roscosmos for preparations for the mission, saying their integrated work reflected professionalism. The spacecraft is a Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29, set for an eight-month ISS stint with NASA astronaut Anil Menon on his first flight, and Russian crewmates Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. They will join NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrei Fedyaev. Broader cooperation, including Russia’s role in Artemis, has stalled.