NASA Admin to Attend Soyuz Launch, Eyes Roscosmos Cooperation | Space News

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman intends to attend the upcoming crewed launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft this summer from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, signaling a continued, albeit limited, level of cooperation between the U.S. And Russian space programs. Isaacman revealed his plans during a news conference following the February 13 launch of SpaceX Crew-12 to the International Space Station (ISS). He stated he is “certainly planning to attend” the Soyuz MS-29 mission, driven in part by a personal connection to one of the astronauts. “I have a decent friend that’s going to be going up on that mission, so it would be hard to imagine to miss it,” he said. The Soyuz MS-29 mission will transport NASA astronaut Anil Menon, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, to the ISS. Notably, Menon’s wife, Anna Menon, participated in the Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission alongside Isaacman in 2024. Isaacman’s potential attendance would mark the first time a NASA administrator has observed a Soyuz launch since October 2018, when then-Administrator Jim Bridenstine witnessed the launch of Soyuz MS-10. That mission experienced an in-flight anomaly, resulting in an abort and a safe landing, but highlighted the inherent risks of space travel. Beyond the launch, Isaacman expressed interest in meeting with Dmitry Bakanov, the Director General of Roscosmos, “at the earliest opportunity.” He indicated preparations are underway for such a discussion, emphasizing the ongoing importance of collaboration on the ISS. “The space station is going to still be up there for a long time,” Isaacman said. “There is a lot that we need to accomplish together in the years ahead. A lot of opportunity for good conversation.” Cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos has been significantly constrained since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with U.S. Sanctions limiting the scope of joint projects to primarily the ISS. Bakanov, following a meeting with then-acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy in July 2023, indicated a desire to expand cooperation beyond the ISS, a goal that remains unrealized. The July meeting between Duffy and Bakanov, held at the Kennedy Space Center, was the first face-to-face encounter between the heads of the two agencies since October 2018. Bakanov had subsequently extended an invitation to Duffy to visit Moscow around the time of the Soyuz MS-28 launch, but that meeting did not materialize. Isaacman’s subsequent renomination as NASA administrator further altered the landscape for potential discussions. Prior to focusing on potential talks with Roscosmos, Isaacman met with Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), on February 11 in Washington. Both NASA and ESA characterized the meeting as constructive, with a focus on continued collaboration on lunar exploration and future missions to Mars. Isaacman stated ESA’s contributions would be “key as we build a sustained lunar presence.” Aschbacher affirmed alignment on shared objectives, including the Moon, low Earth orbit, and Mars. As of February 16, 2026, no date has been set for a meeting between Isaacman and Bakanov, and the scope of potential discussions remains undefined.