The arrangement lets Russian cosmonauts fly on American-made spacecraft in exchange for their astronauts flying on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.įollowing the agreement, the Soyuz-2.1a rocket and Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft were launched from Baikonur to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 21 with a crew that included NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin.Īnn Kikina, the sole female cosmonaut at Roscosmos, is traveling to the ISS on board the Crew-5 crew’s SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, dubbed Endurance.Īfter the shuttle was retired in 2011, the United States relied on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft to transport American astronauts to the space station. In July, NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos inked a long-awaited agreement to integrate trips to the International Space Station. Many countries are turning away from the West and now looking East.” They only use commercial launch systems that may be restricted to other countries. Szymanski pointed out that “the US cannot launch astronauts since the Shuttle program’s end. In other words, it is still just a conversation at an early stage. Krikalev shared that they were very pleasantly surprised at the time by the activity of the United Arab Emirates. The negotiations are ongoing with many countries,” he added. “There is interest in participating in flights. Meanwhile, Krikalev also disclosed that there had been discussions with Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, Indonesia, and other countries. “This puts India more into Russian influence and technology sharing,” he added. It might also be cheaper to use Russian vs. Paul Szymanski, a space warfare expert who has worked closely with multiple services (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines) and civilian organizations (NASA, DARPA, FEMA), told the EurAsian Times that “India’s non-alignment lets them play both sides of the world political landscape. ISRO and ROSCOSMOS have identified crucial areas for collaboration on this mission. New Delhi is planning to send its astronauts to space in 2023. The four astronauts for the mission finished their training in Russia in March 2021.

India’s leading space agency, ISRO, stated in 2020 that the four Indian astronauts selected for the renowned Gaganyaan manned space mission would be sent to Moscow for an 11-month intensive training program. New Delhi has achieved several space milestones with Russia’s assistance, and the strong collaboration is set to continue with India’s upcoming manned orbital mission. Separately, India had declared its intention to send humans to space under the Gaganyaan mission.

However, it is too early to discuss any progress in ongoing negotiations. Sergei Krikalev, executive director of Roscosmos Human Space Flight Programs, told Sputnik News that India has been talking with Russia to transport their astronauts on Russia’s Soyuz. With the help of its longtime ally Moscow, India could soon send its astronauts to space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, solidifying their close cooperation in the space industry.

Cant equip space warfare specialist