According to Newsweek, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who will join two Russian cosmonauts on a mission to the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome, declared the importance of cooperation between the United States and Russia in the aerospace industry. He said that in times of tension around the world, human space flight and exploration should remain a “form of diplomacy and partnership.” Rubio stressed that it is in space that countries can “find common ground and continue to achieve great goals together”.
American astronaut Frank Rubio, who is to go to the ISS on the Soyuz MS-22 ship together with Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, said that the flight would be crucial for relations between the two countries. He said the launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, scheduled for September 21, was “an incredibly important mission”, Newsweek reported.
“Our partnership between NASA and Roscosmos continues for a long time, and it’s a really good and strong relationship. I think this expedition reflects the ongoing efforts of incredible teams on both sides and the amazing people who make it happen,” Rubio said.
“I think in moments of possible tension around the world, it’s important that human spaceflight and exploration – something that both agencies are interested in – remain a form of diplomacy and partnership where we can find common ground and continue to achieve great goals together,” the astronaut stressed.
According to the publication, after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, “a lot has changed” in Russian-American relations in space. On February 28, just four days after the conflict began, NASA Manned Spaceflight Program Manager Kathy Lueders said she expects the two countries to continue working together as one despite the “global situation”.
NASA director Bill Nelson stressed that the relationship between the flight control centres in Moscow and Houston was “at a high professional level”, and promised to continue working together.
However, the situation has gradually changed. In July, Russian cosmonauts deployed flags of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR) on the ISS. After the photo was published, NASA said that the agency “strongly condemns Russia’s use of the International Space Station for political purposes, to support” the military operation in Ukraine. The text of the statement noted that this “fundamentally contradicts the main purpose of the station, which is to promote science and develop technology for peaceful purposes with the participation of 15 countries”. In July, Russian officials announced the country’s intention to leave the ISS project after 2024. However, according to Yuri Borisov, head of the state corporation Roscosmos, all obligations to partners will be fulfilled before that happens. In a report to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Borisov stressed that the decision had already been made. NASA said that it had not yet received any official notification from Moscow, Newsweek wrote.