Soyuz MS-29 with Russian-American crew docks at the ISS

With the arrival of the trio, the number of astronauts on the ISS rises to ten. Already on site, according to Deutschlandfunk, are the US astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, the Frenchwoman Sophie Adenot, as well as the three Russians Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikayev, and Andrey Fedyaev from the preceding 74th mission from February.

Political Signal from Baikonur

The launch of the Soyuz MS-29 is also politically notable. As Deutschlandfunk reported, "reiste der Leiter der US-amerikanischen Raumfahrtbehörde Nasa, Jared Isaacman, nach Baikonur". It was, according to the report, "zum ersten Mal seit acht Jahren" that a NASA chief personally watched the launch of a joint space mission with Russia in Baikonur. Observers interpreted this as a signal to Moscow to continue cooperation in spaceflight despite the Ukraine war.

"Die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Russland und den USA ist in den aktuellen geopolitischen Krisenzeiten selten geworden", according to Deutschlandfunk's reporting. "Der Ukraine-Krieg belastet die Beziehungen zwischen Russland und den USA." Isaacman watched the rocket launch "gemeinsam mit dem Chef von Roskosmos, Dmitri Bakanow" – an image that is anything but a matter of course in the current situation.

Bilateral space cooperation had suffered greatly in recent years. "Seit der russischen Annexion der ukrainischen Halbinsel Krim von 2014 und dem Einmarsch in die Ukraine von 2022 ist die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Russland und den anderen Teilnehmerstaaten erschwert", according to Deutschlandfunk. All the more weighty was the fact that, according to the Russian news agency Tass, during talks between Bakanov and Isaacman, "eine Verlängerung der Zusammenarbeit bei der ISS bis 2030 vereinbart" was agreed.

ISS as a Joint Project

For the new US astronaut Anil Menon, the mission also has a personal dimension: "Menons Mutter hat dabei ukrainische Wurzeln", Deutschlandfunk reported. His flight aboard a Russian spacecraft to the ISS continues the cooperation of nations that are politically opposed on the ground.

Outlook: Russia's Own Station

The ISS itself is a joint project of the five major space organizations. "Die ISS ist ein gemeinsames Projekt von Nasa, Roskosmos, der europäischen Raumfahrtagentur ESA und den Raumfahrtbehörden Kanadas und Japans", Deutschlandfunk reported. "Sie wird seit 1998 betrieben und ist damit die bisher langlebigste Raumstation." Since 2000, long-term missions have regularly flown to the station. The NASA website already lists plans for missions up to the year 2032.

The head of Roscosmos, Dmitri Bakanov, meanwhile announced the intention "die wechselseitigen Flüge zur ISS bis zu deren Betriebsende" to continue. As Deutschlandfunk reported, citing earlier announcements by Bakanov, Russia is also planning "ab 2028 den Baubeginn einer neuen eigenen Raumstation, die Mitte der 2030er Jahre ihren Betrieb aufnehmen könnte". This could enable Russia to prospectively operate its own platform in Earth orbit – while the ISS gradually approaches the end of its service life.

Deutschlandfunk broadcast the news about the launch on July 14, 2026. "Die Sojus-Rakete startete am Nachmittag deutscher Zeit", the broadcaster stated in its reporting.