Russia Claims It Signed Agreement With U.S. On Cross-Flights To ISS

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Russian state corporation Roscosmos have signed an agreement on cross-flights of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

The press service of Roscosmos reported this today, July 15.

"The agreement aims to ensure that in the event of an emergency situation related to the cancellation or significant delay in the launch of a Russian or American spacecraft, the presence of at least one Roscosmos cosmonaut and one NASA astronaut on board the ISS was provided," the statement said.

As part of the deal, NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio will travel to the ISS with Russian astronauts aboard the Soyuz MS-22 manned spacecraft. Its launch is due to take place at the end of September this year.

And Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina will be part of the crew of the manned Crew Dragon, which is scheduled to launch this fall as part of the Crew 5 mission.

It is worth noting that NASA has not yet commented on the conclusion of an agreement with Russia on cross-flights.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in November 2021, Russia tested anti-satellite weapons, shooting them at the old Soviet satellite Cosmos-1408.

As a result of the destruction of the spacecraft in orbit, a cloud of debris formed that almost damaged the International Space Station.

The North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) criticized Russia for conducting weapons tests in orbit, which could lead to damage to the ISS.

We also wrote that NASA announced its intention to extend the life of the ISS until 2030, then it is planned to retire it by 2031 by crashing it into the Pacific Ocean.