A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a US astronaut has docked with the International Space Station, marking a significant development in limited cooperation between Russia and the US in space exploration.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a US astronaut has docked with the ‘International Space Station‘ (ISS), marking a significant development in the limited cooperation between Russia and the US in space exploration.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit.
Launched in 1998, it is a collaborative project between space agencies around the world, including NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.
The ISS serves as a research laboratory, observatory, and testbed for spaceflight technologies.
It has a habitable volume of over 13,700 cubic meters and can support a crew of up to seven people for extended periods.
The three crew members, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Jonny Kim, are set to conduct 50 scientific experiments during their stay on the ISS before returning to Earth on December 9. The Soyuz rocket took off from Kazakhstan‘s Baikonur Cosmodrome at 10:47 a.m. local time and docked with the ISS in under four hours.
Despite tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, space projects have remained one area where cooperation has continued. The return of Donald Trump to the US presidency has also led to a thaw in the US-Russian relationship. However, Russia’s struggling space program, which faces long-term funding issues and corruption scandals, highlights the challenges facing this cooperation.
Located in Eastern Europe, Ukraine is a country with a rich history and culture.
It shares borders with Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest.
The capital city is Kyiv, which has a population of over 2.8 million people.
Ukraine's territory covers approximately 603,700 square kilometers, making it the second-largest country in Europe by area.
Launched in 1998, the first module of the ISS was launched, marking the beginning of continuous human occupation of the space station since 2000. The ISS is a testament to international collaboration among five space agencies – the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. With its Russian and US sections, the ISS represents a symbol of cooperation in space exploration despite current tensions between the two nations.
The United States and Russia have a long-standing complex relationship, marked by periods of cooperation and conflict.
The two nations were allies during World War II, but tensions rose during the Cold War era.
Since then, relations have been strained due to disagreements over issues such as nuclear disarmament, NATO expansion, and Ukraine's sovereignty.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, in 2020, only 27% of Americans viewed 'Russia favorably' , while 63% had an unfavorable view.
The relationship remains sensitive, with both countries maintaining significant military presence in Eastern Europe.
