Despite Recent Tensions, NASA and Roscosmos Sign Seat Swap Agreement

It has been a difficult few months for US-Russian relations, with disputes between the two countries emerging both on land and in space. Despite the current bad feeling, NASA and Roscosmos have finalized a deal under which NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts will fly aboard each other’s spacecraft.

The announcement of the new agreement came on Friday, July 15, the same day that Dmitry Rogozin was dismissed from his position as director general of Roscosmos. It’s not clear whether the space chief’s firing was linked to the new deal, but it does suggest that the two space agencies are finding ways to work together despite tensions arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting economic sanctions.

Anna Kikina at Russia’s Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on July 8, 2022. The Russian cosmonaut is scheduled to fly with SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of a recent seat swap arrangement. (Photo: Roscosmos, AP)

For the agreement, US astronauts will board the Soyuz capsule as they did before NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the introduction of the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. On the other hand, Russian cosmonauts will tie themselves into the Dragon Crew for the first time. The first of these four integrated crewed flights, for which no funds will be exchanged between the space agencies, is scheduled for September. NASA/SpaceX and Roscosmos will be responsible for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS and providing full mission support, including training, flight operations, landing, and rescue services, according to a NASA press release.

The reason the crew is integrated is to maintain the safe operation of the outpost, according to NASA. ISS operations rely on contributions from five space agencies, the other three being the European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

“The integrated flight crew ensures there are well-trained crew members on board for critical maintenance and space travel,” NASA said in a statement. “It also protects against contingencies such as problems with the crew spacecraft, serious crew medical issues, or an emergency at the station that requires the crew and assigned vehicles to return to Earth sooner than planned.”

NASA’s Frank Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin of Roscosmos, are scheduled to launch aboard the Soyuz MS-22 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 21. NASA’s Loral O’Hara is scheduled to launch aboard a Soyuz MS-23 in the spring of 2023, on a mission that will involve cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.

Anna Kikina of Roscosmos, along with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, will take part in NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the space station, which will launch from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in September. or October. Kikina, 35, is currently Russia’s only female astronaut, and she will be the first Russian woman to visit the ISS in eight years, according to state-run Russia Beyond.

Cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, along with NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg, will take part in NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, which is targeted for launch in the spring of 2023.

So it seems business as usual in space, even though things on the ground are very far from normal. NASA seems willing to ignore Russian recklessness, such as using the space station to promote the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, in order to maintain normal and safe operations in low-Earth orbit. Makes sense, but still leaves a bitter taste.

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