NASA chief Jared Isaacman made a rare visit to the Russia-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to witness the launch of a joint US-Russian space mission on Tuesday morning, July 14th, 2026. The Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft carried Russian astronauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon.

The crew successfully entered orbit and is scheduled to dock at the International Space Station (ISS) at 17:56 GMT, where they will remain for eight months. Before the launch, Isaacman met Dmitry Bakanov, head of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, and expressed gratitude for the integrated work and professionalism demonstrated in preparing for the mission.

This collaboration persists despite heightened tensions following Russia's military actions in Ukraine since 2022. Washington and Moscow have maintained cooperation in space, with US and Russian crews continuing to travel to the ISS aboard each other's spacecraft.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical situation remains strained, with ongoing drone and missile exchanges resulting in casualties and the European Union imposing sanctions on individuals over alleged Russian cyber-spying activities.

Sources