In recent years, relations between the United States and Russia have been tense. The United States has imposed a series of sanctions against Russia, and exchanges between the two countries in various fields have been interrupted. However, there is still fragile cooperation between the US and Russia in the space domain, as they continue to operate the International Space Station together.
According to a report by Russian Satellite News Agency on July 3, a report released by the Office of the Inspector General at NASA shows that between 2006 and 2024, NASA paid Roscosmos $3.6 billion to purchase seats for spacecraft in order to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.
The NASA Inspector General Office stated in its report that the International Space Station is an important laboratory for NASA and its partners to conduct scientific research and prepare for deep space exploration in low Earth orbit (LEO). NASA initially used space shuttles to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and since 2006, it has been using Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
The report states that after the American space shuttle was completely retired in 2011, NASA relied entirely on the Soyuz spacecraft for manned missions for a long time, until the United States developed safe, reliable, and cost-effective manned spacecraft.
According to statistics from the NASA Inspector General’s Office, between 2006 and 2024, NASA purchased a total of 68 seats for the Soyuz spacecraft, costing over $3.6 billion, to transport astronauts from the United States and its partners.
September 21, 2022, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft was launched. IC photo.
To fill the void after the space shuttle program ended, NASA awarded contracts in 2014 to SpaceX and Boeing, tasked with developing manned 'Dragon' spacecraft and 'Stellar Wind' manned spacecraft.
SpaceX's manned 'Dragon' spacecraft completed its first manned test flight and the first regular commercial manned space mission in 2020, giving the United States again the capability to send astronauts into space. Now, the launch of the manned 'Dragon' spacecraft has become a routine activity, and it regularly transports astronauts to and from the International Space Station along with the Russian 'Soyuz' spacecraft.
The International Space Station, co-led by the United States and Russia, has been in operation for 27 years and is facing the risk of equipment aging and damage. However, there are differences between the United States and Russia regarding the future operation of the International Space Station. NASA has promised to continue operating the space station until 2030, while the Russian National Aerospace Group has not yet promised to continue participating in the operation of the space station after 2028.
