Space is one of the few areas where the U.S. and Russia have continued to cooperate since the war in Ukraine began two years ago. Three US astronauts and one astronaut have now arrived at the ISS space station.
Three American astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut have traveled to space and arrived at the International Space Station (ISS). A space capsule with the space station's new occupants docks with the ISS.
After the hatch was opened, the new arrivals Matthew Dominique, Jeanette Epps and Michael Barratt from the United States and Alexander Grebenkin from Russia were warmly welcomed by the current ISS crew, as seen in a video broadcast by the US space agency NASA.
The new crew must stay for six months
The current crew members will replace four of the seven ISS occupants. A few days later, four crew members from the United States, Denmark, Japan, and Russia will return to Earth.
The new crew is expected to work on the ISS for about six months, and various medical experiments, including stem cells, are planned. This will be the first space flight for Epps, Dominique and Grebenkin, and Barratt's third visit to the space station.
A win for space giant SpaceX
As in the past, tech billionaire Elon Musk's private space company SpaceX is tasked with replacing crews on the ISS space station. The space shuttle, known as “Crew-8”, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida on Sunday using a Falcon 9 rocket in a “Crew Dragon” capsule.
The flight was postponed several times. It was originally scheduled for February 22. Since the start of Russia's war of aggression over Ukraine, tensions between the US and Russia have resulted in the first time astronauts from both countries have reached space together. Space is one of the few areas where the two countries work together.
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