NASA, Russia’s Roscosmos Renew ISS Flights

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Russian state space agency Roscosmos have agreed to renew flights together to the International Space Station (ISS).

On Friday, the space agencies signed an agreement to allow Russian cosmonauts to fly on U.S.-made spacecraft in exchange for American astronauts being able to ride on Russia's Soyuz.

"To ensure continued safe operations of the International Space Station, protect the lives of astronauts and ensure continuous US presence in space, NASA will resume integrated crews on US crew spacecraft and the Russian Soyuz," NASA said.

On September 21, Astronaut Frank Rubio will fly with two Russian cosmonauts - Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin - on a Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan, followed by a second mission by astronaut Loral O'Hara in 2023.

In exchange, Russian cosmonauts will join NASA astronauts on SpaceX's new Crew-5 which will launch in September from Florida with a Japanese astronaut also on the mission. Anna Kikina, the only woman in Russia’s active cosmonaut corps, will become the first Russian to fly SpaceX‘s Crew Dragon capsule.

Another joint mission on the SpaceX Crew-6 will fly out in early 2023, NASA said.