Russian Spacecraft Takes An American Astronaut, Two Others, To The International Space Station

TUESDAY April 8, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng

Idorenyin UMOREN
Uyo

A Russian spacecraft safely delivered an American astronaut Jonathan Kim and two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station, ISS, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, a flight hailed by Moscow as an example of fruitful Russia-United States space cooperation, according to Reuters reports.

The Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying Kim and Russians Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky, docking three hours later with the ISS, Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation said.

Reuters reports that once the hatches were opened, Kim and the Russians were shown smiling and hugging their companions on the station, which now has 10 people on board, including four NASA astronauts, five Russians and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.

“Throughout his eight-month stay aboard the orbital outpost, Kim will conduct scientific research in technology development, Earth science, biology, human research, and more,” NASA said in a statement.

President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy on Tuesday hailed U.S.-Russia space cooperation after the Russian rocket blasted off for the ISS.
Kirill Dmitriev, who is trying to spur a reset in U.S.-Russia ties and held talks in Washington last week, said Tuesday’s launch was the latest example of an enduring relationship which traced its history back to 1975.

That was when the first crewed international space mission carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union saw an Apollo and a Soyuz dock in space, according to Reuters.

That mission, which featured the first international handshake in space, was a symbol of Cold War detente.

“Russian and U.S. cooperation in the space industry continues today,” Dmitriev said on Tuesday, posting a video on his official Telegram channel of the Soyuz rocket blasting off.
Despite sweeping U.S. sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war in Ukraine, space is one area where cooperation has continued.