Soyuz MS-29 lifts off with US-Russian crew, NASA chief visits Baikonur for first time in eight years
Anil Menon becomes the first American astronaut to fly on a Russian Soyuz since the Ukraine war deepened, as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman makes a rare appearance at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Launch from Baikonur
A Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft carrying two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (14:47 GMT). On board were NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, all strapped inside a capsule on a mission that marks several symbolic firsts. The launch vehicle rose from a recently repaired launch pad, resuming crewed flights from the historic site, while NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman watched from the ground, the first time a NASA chief has been at Baikonur for a crewed launch in eight years.
Symbolism and diplomacy
Isaacman’s visit, which included a meeting with the crew the day before launch, was layered with diplomatic significance. He thanked Roscosmos for the preparation effort, stating:
The integrated work performed over the past several months reflects the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved.
Isaacman also met Dmitry Bakanov, the head of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. According to Manturov’s office, the talks covered prospective cooperation on the ISS and other projects. Russian news agency Tass reported that Bakanov and Isaacman agreed to extend ISS cooperation through 2030, though Roscosmos chief Bakanov earlier signalled that Russia plans to start construction of its own orbital station in 2028, with an operational target in the mid-2030s. The mission also carries a personal emblem of current tensions: Anil Menon’s mother is of Ukrainian origin, a detail that made the Russian-led flight especially striking to audiences in Kyiv and Washington alike.
Arrival at the ISS and crew roster
The Soyuz executed a three-hour chase to the station, docking automatically at 17:56 GMT (scheduled), the actual docking occurred around 17:52 GMT, according to Roscosmos. The hatch opening turned the ISS into a 10-person outpost, as the three newcomers joined the seven members of the outgoing Expedition 74 crew: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams; ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrei Fedyaev.
This is the 75th long-duration expedition to the ISS. The Soyuz MS-29 crew is scheduled to spend about eight months in orbit. For Menon, the flight is his first space mission, while both Dubrov and Kikina are on their second.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets crew and Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov at Baikonur
- Soyuz MS-29 lifts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome with Menon, Dubrov and Kikina
- Spacecraft docks with the ISS in automatic mode after roughly three hours in orbit
A partnership under strain
The ISS remains one of the few joint endeavours where Washington and Moscow still work shoulder to shoulder. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the broader bilateral space relationship has deteriorated. Plans to involve Russia in NASA’s Artemis lunar programme have collapsed, and Roscosmos has instead turned to China, cooperating on a prospective moon mission. Western sanctions have further pushed Moscow to rely on Beijing for energy exports and key technology imports.
Still, the 1998-vintage station continues to host rotating crews from the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan. The ISS partnership is now formally extended to 2030, even as Roscosmos prepares for a future after the station’s decommissioning. Russia intends to start building its own orbital platform in 2028, with a target to begin operations by the middle of the next decade.
