US-Russian crew arrives at the International Space Station for 8-month mission

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A U.S.-Russian abstraction unit has arrived astatine the International Space Station for an eight-month mission

ByVLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press

MOSCOW -- A U.S.-Russian abstraction unit arrived Tuesday astatine the International Space Station aft launching from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome successful Kazakhstan.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian crewmates Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted disconnected arsenic scheduled astatine 7:47 p.m. (10:47 a.m. EDT, 1447 GMT) aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 for an eight-month stint connected the orbiting outpost. Their spacecraft docked smoothly astatine the presumption successful automatic mode astir 3 hours aft the launch.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch, the archetypal sojourn to Baikonur by a NASA main successful 8 years that highlighted the ongoing practice successful orbit betwixt Moscow and Washington, contempt tensions implicit Russia’s subject enactment successful Ukraine.

Before the launch, Isaacman met with the caput of Russia's authorities corp Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov. Speaking during Monday’s gathering with the crew, Isaacman thanked Roscosmos for its efforts to hole for the mission, saying that “the integrated enactment performed implicit the past respective months reflects the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved.”

Isaacman besides had a gathering with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. Manturov's bureau said they discussed prospective practice connected the International Space Station and different projects.

The ngo is Menon’s archetypal abstraction formation and the 2nd for Dubrov and Kikina.

The trio volition articulation NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrei Fedyaev.

Once bitter rivals successful the abstraction contention during the Cold War, Russia and the U.S. cooperate connected the abstraction presumption and different projects. That narration was marred by tensions aft Moscow sent troops into Ukraine successful 2022, but Washington and Moscow person continued to enactment together, with U.S. and Russian crews flying to the orbiting outpost connected each country’s spacecraft.

Plans for broader cooperation, including imaginable Russian engagement successful NASA’s Artemis programme of lunar research, person fallen apart. As Russia has go progressively reliant connected China for its vigor exports and imports of cardinal exertion amid Western sanctions, Roscosmos has started practice with China connected its prospective lunar mission.