Space mission

Their spacecraft docked smoothly in automatic mode about three hours after the launch.

A US-RUSSIAN SPACE crew has arrived at the International Space Station after launching from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Nasa astronaut Anil Menon and Russian crewmates Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off as scheduled at 7.47pm local time aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 for an eight-month stint on the orbiting outpost.

.@NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off atop the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft at 10:47 a.m. EDT today for a 1:56 p.m. docking to the International Space Station. More... https://t.co/OgfE3jFh0Y pic.twitter.com/D0IWMdUbZP

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) July 14, 2026

Their spacecraft docked smoothly at the station in automatic mode about three hours after the launch.

Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch, the first visit to Baikonur by a Nasa chief in eight years that highlighted the ongoing co-operation in orbit between Moscow and Washington, despite tensions over Russia’s military action in Ukraine.

Welcome aboard the International Space Station, @astro_anil.

Your mission is just getting started. Wishing you and your crewmates a successful expedition as you advance research and inspire millions back here on Earth. pic.twitter.com/Vp9ceT1Ea5

— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) July 14, 2026

Before the launch, Isaacman met the head of Russia’s state corporation Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov.

Speaking during Monday’s meeting with the crew, Isaacman thanked Roscosmos for its efforts to prepare for the mission, saying that “the integrated work performed over the past several months reflects the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved”.

Isaacman also had a meeting with Russia’s deputy prime minister Denis Manturov.

Expedition 75 Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, top, NASA astronaut Anil Menon, middle, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, bottom, wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Manturov’s office said they discussed prospective co-operation on the International Space Station and other projects.

The mission is Menon’s first space flight and the second for Dubrov and Kikina.

The trio will join 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.

With the @Space_Station Expedition 74 mission soon coming to an end, we realized we had been a bit remiss in capturing portraits of our full crew. It has been an honor and a privilege (and yes, A LOT of fun!) serving with these exceptional humans for the past 5 months. So many… pic.twitter.com/dg0VONAEIB

— Jessica Meir (@Astro_Jessica) July 14, 2026

Once bitter rivals in the space race during the Cold War, Russia and the US co-operate on the space station and other projects.

That relationship was marred by tensions after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, but Washington and Moscow have continued to work together, with US and Russian crews flying to the orbiting outpost on each country’s spacecraft.

Plans for broader co-operation, including possible Russian involvement in Nasa’s Artemis programme of lunar research, have fallen apart.

As Russia has become increasingly reliant on China for its energy exports and imports of key technology amid western sanctions, Roscosmos has started co-operation with China on its prospective lunar mission.