Russian astronaut boards US rocket for first time in 20 years... Symbol of continued space cooperation

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A Russian astronaut headed to space aboard an American spacecraft for the first time in 20 years. This is interpreted as a symbolic gesture to maintain cooperation in the space sector despite the deteriorated relations between the two countries following the Ukraine war.

On the 5th (local time), according to CNN, the Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft carried Russian astronaut Anna Kikina (38), drawing attention. It is the first time in 20 years that a Russian astronaut has boarded an American spacecraft since NASA's Space Shuttle program in 2002.

Notably, this launch was carried out under a seat exchange agreement between NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). In July, the U.S. and Russia signed an agreement to use each other's spacecraft to send their astronauts to the ISS as an alternative transport measure in case of an emergency on the ISS. Maintaining this agreement is seen as a symbolic move to show that cooperation in the space sector has not been broken despite the Ukraine war.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Earlier, American astronaut Frank Rubio traveled to the ISS aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan last month under this agreement. Following that, Kikina, the fifth female astronaut in Russian history, boarded the SpaceX crew capsule along with three astronauts from NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

After the spacecraft entered Earth's orbit, Kikina said, "I am happy to be flying in space together," and Sergey Krikalev, head of Roscosmos' astronaut program, described it as "a new phase of U.S.-Russia space cooperation."

Meanwhile, the commander of this spacecraft attracted attention as Nicole Aunapu Mann (45), the first Native American female astronaut from the U.S. Mann is a descendant of the Wailaki tribe from the Round Valley region in California and brought a traditional Native American protective talisman, a dreamcatcher, given by her mother, aboard the spacecraft. She expressed pride in representing Native Americans and their heritage and emphasized the importance of racial diversity and unity.