USA and Russia: joint journey into space despite the Ukraine war
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center
Source: dpa/John Raoux
Despite extreme tensions between the US and Russia over the Ukraine war, both countries continue to work together in space. Now another Russian astronaut has started to the ISS together with two Americans.
Ztwo Americans, one Russian and one Emirati are together International Space Station broken up. The four astronauts took off on Thursday aboard a “Crew Dragon” from the private space company SpaceX Elon Musk from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, as shown by live images from the US space agency Nasa.
This is the repeated time since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine around a year ago and the resulting immense tensions between the USA and Russia, astronauts from both countries flew into space together. The start was actually planned for Monday, but had to Ignition system problems have to be canceled and postponed at short notice.
The Russian Andrey Fedyaev (from left), the two Americans Warren “Woody” Hoburg and Stephen Bowen and Sultan Alneyadi, astronaut from the United Arab Emirates
Source: dpa/Joel Kowsky
Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Andrei Fedyaev and Sultan al-Niyadi are expected to stay on board the ISS for around six months. Hoburg, Fedjajew and Al-Nijadi fly into space for the first time, for Bowen it is the fourth space flight.
First launch aborted due to technical problems
“It took two tries, but it was worth the trip,” Bowen said. “Welcome to space” radioed the launch control. “Don’t forget to give us five stars if you enjoyed the flight.” Al-Nejadi thanked him in Arabic and English: “The takeoff was incredible. Crazy.” About 80 of his compatriots watched the spectacle in Cape Canaveral.
On board the ISS, the four astronauts will meet their colleagues Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, Koichi Wakata and Anna Kikina. “Crew-5” – Mann, Cassada, Wakata and Kikina – is scheduled to fly back to Earth a few days after “Crew-6” arrives.
The return of Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio was delayed because a leak was discovered in the Soyuz capsule that brought them to the ISS in September. According to experts, it was caused by the impact of a micrometeorite. That’s why a replacement spacecraft arrived at the ISS over the weekend, with which the three are now likely to return to Earth in September – instead of March as originally planned.
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