A Soyuz rocket with two Russians and an American on board arrives on the International Space Station

The Russian Space Agency announced in a press release that the vehicle arrived at the International Space Station after three hours.

Extended assignment

This launch comes less than a month after the loss of the Russian Luna-25 lunar probe, which crashed on the surface of the moon last August, a failure that brought to mind the difficulties the Russian space sector has been facing for years, between lack of funding and corruption. Scandals.

“It’s a very special moment and a very fun feeling to be part of something bigger than ourselves that has brought so many people together. I’m excited about this mission,” Loral O’Hara, 40, said Thursday at a news conference in Baikonur.

Nikolai Chub (39 years old) said, “The atmosphere is good and the crew is ready to accomplish all the tasks assigned to them.” The three astronauts will replace Russians Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petlin and American Frank Rubio, who arrived on board the International Space Station a year ago.

Their mission was extended due to damage to their return ship, Soyuz MS-22, which suffered a spectacular leak in December 2022 while docking with the International Space Station, caused by a small meteorite impact, according to Moscow.

The Russian Space Agency therefore decided that it could only be used in emergency situations, and chose to send the MS-23 spacecraft as an alternative.

cooperation

The space sector is one of the rare areas in which cooperation between Russia and the United States continues, in the context of severe tensions due to the conflict in Ukraine. American Loral O’Hara said Thursday that the International Space Station is a “symbol of peace and cooperation.”