'NASA-Roscosmos share healthy ties despite Ukraine crisis': Astronaut before joint mission

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is set to blast off to the International Space Station (ISS) this September as part of the Expedition 68 crew. He will depart for the orbital outpost in a Russian Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft from Kazakhstan under the seat-swap deal agreed between NASA and Russia's space agency Roscosmos. Under this deal, Rubio will board a Russian Soyuz capsule and in return, NASA will launch a Russian cosmonaut in a US-made spacecraft. 

Talking about his upcoming mission on September 21, Rubio told reporters during a recent press briefing that NASA and Roscosmos have maintained a healthy relationship despite the ongoing Ukraine crisis. "This crew swap really represents the ongoing effort of tremendous teams on both sides and amazing people that make this happen", Rubio said as per Space News. He further said that the teams are currently trying to 'make this mission happen' with the utmost safety and productivity. 

Rubio is currently at the final stage of his spaceflight training in the Star City Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow and will be accompanied by cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin for the six-month-long mission. During his address, Rubio said that he hopes human spaceflight and exploration to remain "a form of diplomacy and partnership" when there are tensions elsewhere. 

Russia's Anna Kikina to board US spacecraft under seat-swap agreement

NASA will reciprocate Rubio's flight in the Soyuz capsule by sending Russia's female cosmonaut Anna Kikina to the ISS in SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Notably, Kikina will be part of the Crew-5 mission which is scheduled for October 3, just a few days after Rubio's launch. The cosmonaut will be accompanied by two NASA astronauts– Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada– the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Koichi Wakata.

Launching to space for the first time, Kikina will also become the first cosmonaut to board a private US-made spacecraft. The Crew-5 team will replace NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Europe's Samantha Cristoforetti who arrived at the space station on April 28.