Russian, US space directors hold first face-to-face discussions in eight years
(MENAFN) Roscosmos Director Dmitry Bakanov has arrived in Houston for a landmark meeting with acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy — marking the first face-to-face talks between the heads of the Russian and US space agencies in eight years.
According to a statement from Roscosmos on Tuesday, the discussions will center on the future of the International Space Station (ISS), including plans to extend its operational life and the eventual deorbiting of the aging platform into a designated area of the ocean. Bakanov stated that a detailed plan is already in place, with the deorbit process expected to take about two and a half years.
Another key topic is the ongoing arrangement that allows Russian cosmonauts to fly aboard American commercial spacecraft, such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, while US astronauts use Russian Soyuz rockets.
Bakanov is also scheduled to meet the Crew-11 mission team set to launch to the ISS no earlier than July 31. The crew includes Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, American astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, and Japan’s Kimiya Yui.
During his visit, Bakanov will tour NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston — a hub for astronaut training and mission control — as well as Boeing’s facilities where the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is being developed.
Despite deteriorating diplomatic ties since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, space cooperation — particularly involving the ISS — has continued. Russia had initially planned to exit the ISS project after 2024 to focus on building its own orbital station but has since indicated willingness to remain involved, possibly through 2030. Both nations agree on the need to eventually retire the station due to aging infrastructure and safety concerns.
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