Soyuz Launches International Crew to ISS

A Russian Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft has successfully launched from the Baikonur Spaceport, carrying NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina toward the International Space Station (ISS). The mission marked a significant diplomatic milestone, with Jared Isaacman becoming the first NASA Administrator to visit the Kazakhstan-based facility in eight years. Isaacman observed the launch alongside Roskosmos President Dmitry Bakanov, representing a rare high-level meeting between the space agencies after years of paused diplomatic contacts. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS following a fast-track three-hour journey. Once aboard, the international crew will begin an eight-month science mission before returning to Earth next April.