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 capsu