On a hot July morning in Kazakhstan, a rocket flared against the blue sky and rose toward orbit. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina were on their way to the International Space Station — and with them, a quiet message that cooperation between old rivals can survive even the toughest political storms.
The trio launched aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on July 14, 2026, from the Baikonur cosmodrome, a space base that Russia leases in the central Asian nation. Their journey to the orbiting laboratory took about three hours. Once there, they'll spend eight months conducting science experiments and maintaining the station's systems — the same station that has been continuously crewed by humans for more than 25 years.
What's notable is who showed up to watch them go. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch in person. It was the first time a NASA chief had visited Baikonur in eight years. Isaacman met with the head of Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, and called the months of joint work a reflection of "the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved."
That handshake across the tarmac carries weight. Russia and the United States were enemies in space during the Cold War, racing to plant flags on the Moon. Today, American astronauts ride Russian rockets to the station and Russian cosmonauts ride American ones. That exchange has continued even as relations on the ground have soured — notably after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The two nations haven't let their disagreements on Earth sever what they build together in orbit.
The crew joining Menon, Dubrov, and Kikina is substantial: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams; European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot; and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrei Fedyaev. That's 10 people total, working side by side 400 kilometers above the planet.
For Menon, this launch marked his very first trip to space. Dubrov and Kikina each had one mission under their belt already. Their combined experience will be put to use maintaining life-support systems, running scientific studies — things like growing plants, studying fluid behavior in microgravity, and monitoring how the human body adapts to life without weight.
Not everything is smooth sailing in this partnership. Plans for Russia to take part in NASA's Artemis Moon program have stalled. Russia has turned more toward China for space cooperation, including plans for a joint lunar mission. But on the space station, at least for now, astronauts and cosmonauts continue to share meals, conduct repairs together, and float through the same hatchway each day — a small, functioning example of what nations can accomplish when they choose to keep talking.