Three Russian cosmonauts arrived today at the International Space Station (ISS), and they are the first cosmonauts in space since the beginning of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Russian space agency Roskosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveyev and Sergey Korsakov successfully lifted off from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11.55:21 a.m. ET in a Soyuz MS-XNUMX spacecraft.
They arrived at the station after a little over three hours, joining a crew of seven consisting of two Russians, four Americans and one German.
It is the first manned space launch since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Because of the war, spacecraft launches were canceled and contracts terminated.
Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin has warned that the US will have to use "brooms" to fly into space after Russia said it would stop supplying rocket engines to US companies.
Many have expressed concern that Rogozin is jeopardizing decades of peaceful partnership in space, particularly on the International Space Station.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told The Associated Press today that cooperation with Russian cosmonauts from the civilian space program continues.
"They are professionals. Despite everything, up in space, we can cooperate with our Russian friends, our colleagues," Nelson told the AP.
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hey, who on Tuesday broke the US record for a single space flight of 340 days, is scheduled to leave the International Space Station with two Russians in a Soyuz capsule that will land in Kazakhstan on March 30.
In April, three more NASA and one Italian astronaut are scheduled to blast off to the space station.
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