Nasa and Roscosmos team up for ISS rocket flights despite Ukraine war

Move comes even as US enforces sweeping sanctions against Russia for invasion of Ukraine

Russia announced plans to leave the International Space Station after 2024 and build an independent one. Reuters

A Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket booster at the Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport, in an area of southern Kazakhstan leased to Russia. Reuters

A Soyuz-2.1a is readied for launch. Nasa has announced that it will resume flights to the International Space Station with Russia.

This is taking place despite Washington's attempts to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. AFP

Nasa's announcement came hours Dmitry Rogozin was dismissed as head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency. AFP

A vocal backer of Russia's invasion, Mr Rogozin, had said US astronauts should get to the ISS 'on trampolines' rather than Russian rockets. AFP

Earlier this month, Russia's former Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov was appointed as the new director-general of Roscosmos. AP

A Russian rocket to the ISS launched since the invasion bore the inscription Donbas and its nose cone and had the flags of breakaway enclaves painted on it. AP

The Soyuz rocket blasts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The last Nasa astronaut to take a Soyuz to the ISS was Mark Vande Hei in 2021. AP

Nasa said the ISS was always designed to be operated jointly. Reuters

The space agencies of the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada participate. Reuters

US astronaut Mark Vande Hei has a spectacular view of Earth from inside the ISS. AP

Nasa astronaut Mark Vande Hei of Nasa, left, returns from the ISS with cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, centre, and Pyotr Dubrov. EPA

Their Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule lands south-east of the town of Zhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. AP

A Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov approaches to dock with the ISS. Reuters

A spectacular night-time Soyuz launch. AFP

The US on Friday announced it would resume flights to the International Space Station (ISS) with Russia's Roscosmos space agency, despite Washington's attempts to isolate the country over its invasion of Ukraine.

“To ensure continued safe operations of the [ISS], 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,” the American space agency said in a statement.

Nasa said that astronaut Frank Rubio would fly with two Russian cosmonauts on a Soyuz rocket scheduled to launch on September 21 from Kazakhstan.

Nasa also said Russian cosmonauts will join Nasa astronauts on the new SpaceX Crew-6 in early 2023. A similar flight is scheduled to launch in September from the US state of Florida, with a Japanese astronaut also on the mission.

In June, a Russian rocket to the ISS bore the inscription “Donbas” and its nose cone had the flags of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics painted on it. The Donbas region of eastern Ukraine is where Russia is now concentrating its war effort.

Earlier this week, the European Space Agency terminated its relationship with Russia on a mission to put a rover on Mars.

Friday's Nasa announcement, confirmed by Roscosmos, came hours after President Vladimir Putin fired Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin, a firebrand nationalist and ardent backer of the Ukraine invasion who once quipped that US astronauts should travel to the space station on trampolines rather than on Russian rockets.

Nasa said the ISS was always designed to be operated jointly with participation from the space agencies of the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.

“The station was designed to be interdependent and relies on contributions from each space agency to function. No one agency has the capability to function independent of the others,” it said.

Soyuz rockets were the only way to reach the space station until SpaceX, run by billionaire Elon Musk, debuted a capsule in 2020.

The last Nasa astronaut to take a Soyuz to the station was Mark Vande Hei in 2021.

He returned to Earth in March this year alongside Russian cosmonauts, also on a Soyuz.

Europe's ExoMars mission — in pictures

A rendering of Europe's Rosalind Franklin rover, which is part of the ExoMars mission. Photo: European Space Agency

The mission was being built in partnership with Russian space agency Roscosmos, but the co-operation has now been terminated by Europe due to sanctions placed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. AFP

Artist's impression of ESA's ExoMars rover and Russia's science platform on Mars. Photo: NYU Abu Dhabi

The mission was supposed to launch on Russia's Proton rocket, but that is no longer happening. Photo: European Space Agency