The Soyuz MS-29 ISS launch on 14 July 2026 carried NASA astronaut Anil Menon and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina to the International Space Station, with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman travelling to Kazakhstan to witness the lift-off in the first visit to Roscosmos-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome by a NASA chief since 2018.
The Soyuz spacecraft lifted off from Baikonur at 19:47 local time, reaching the station approximately three hours later and docking with the Russian Prichal module at 22:52. Menon, Dubrov and Kikina will serve as members of Expeditions 74 and 75, spending around eight months aboard the station. The mission is Menon’s first spaceflight; for both Russian cosmonauts, it is their second.
Soyuz MS-29 ISS launch draws agency heads together
The appearance of Isaacman alongside Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov during launch-day events was the most visible signal of the operational relationship the two agencies maintain despite a broader political confrontation between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine. The two agency leaders appeared together and attended launch events side by side, described as cordial throughout. Neither agency announced new agreements, but the public engagement reinforced that ISS cooperation remains intact.
Crew exchange under the current arrangement means NASA astronauts continue to fly on Russian Soyuz spacecraft, while Russian cosmonauts receive seats aboard SpaceX crew missions. The practical rationale is straightforward: if either launch system is temporarily grounded, both countries remain represented on the station. That cross-flying policy has been in place for several years and the Soyuz MS-29 ISS launch continues it without modification.
Crew backgrounds reflect the depth of US-Russia mission ties
Kikina’s inclusion in the Soyuz MS-29 crew underlines how far the cross-programme arrangements now extend. In October 2022 she launched aboard SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission, becoming the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a privately operated US spacecraft. Her first ISS stay lasted more than five months. Dubrov’s debut mission was considerably longer: he spent nearly a year in orbit.
Menon’s background places him at the intersection of NASA and SpaceX in a different way. Before NASA selected him as an astronaut in 2021, he served as the company’s first flight surgeon and helped prepare for its first crewed mission, having previously worked as a NASA flight surgeon supporting ISS crews. His wife, SpaceX engineer and medical officer Anna Menon, flew with Isaacman aboard the privately funded Polaris Dawn mission in 2024, giving the Soyuz MS-29 crew an unusual set of personal connections to both agencies and to commercial spaceflight.
The three new arrivals joined the Expedition 74 crew already aboard the station following docking. The composition of that combined crew reflects the multi-lateral nature of ISS operations, which have continued largely uninterrupted through successive periods of geopolitical strain.
Station’s timeline adds context to the partnership
NASA plans to operate the ISS through 2030, while the international partners involved prepare for its eventual retirement and controlled re-entry. The remaining years of the programme mean that US-Russia crew exchange flights are likely to continue for the foreseeable future, regardless of the diplomatic climate on the ground. The Soyuz MS-29 mission is one of a series of rotations that will carry crews to and from the station as that 2030 horizon approaches.
Isaacman’s presence at Baikonur, and his visible engagement with Bakanov, keeps that working channel open at the most senior level. Whether further formal agreements follow from the visit was not announced by either agency.
