--- title: "Russia Launches Final Soyuz With NASA Astronauts Aboard" description: "A Soyuz launched a NASA astronaut to the ISS, the last time NASA paid for an American astronaut to fly with the Russian space corporation, Roscosmos." date: "2020-10-14" modified: "2020-10-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-launches-final-soyuz-nasa-astronauts" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "crew dragon" - "Roscosmos" - "Russia" - "soyuz" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Russia Launches Final Soyuz With NASA Astronauts Aboard ![A Soyuz launched a NASA astronaut to the ISS, the last time NASA paid for an American astronaut to fly with the Russian space corporation, Roscosmos.]() *\Image: NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin\* ## One Last Launch Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut just launched on board a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station. While the launch may not have been a huge deal a year ago, it's now a bittersweet moment. The launch marks the last time that NASA will pay for an American astronaut to fly with the Russian space corporation, Roscosmos. On the next Soyuz launch, an all-Russian crew will make their way to the space station, the first time since the start of the ISS crew program almost exactly 20 years ago, as [*NBC* points out](). ## Crew Dragon Courtesy of SpaceX, NASA astronauts have a brand new way to get into orbit: the company's [Crew Dragon]() spacecraft. In fact, NASA is already planning to launch the first international crew inside the spacecraft **"no sooner than early-to-mid November," according to NASA**. SpaceX already has [successfully delivered]() two NASA astronauts to the space station earlier this year as part of its Demo-2 mission. ## Messy Break Up Today's launch also marks a significant inflection point in Russia-US relations, following decades of successful collaboration in space travel. Roscosmos has no definite plans to fly on board the American-made spacecraft, as a spokesperson confirmed to *NBC*. A NASA spokesperson, however, [told *Forbes*]() in June that Russia will likely end up launching with SpaceX eventually. Russia is also planning to make its own way back to the Moon, but not as part of NASA's upcoming missions there. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, [confirmed]() that "we are not interested in participating" in NASA's Artemis Moon program in a July interview. **READ MORE:** [Soyuz rocket departs for the international space station in historic final U.S.-Russian flight]() \[*NBC News*\] **More on Soyuz:** *[Russian Cosmonauts Are Fighting a Robot on Twitter]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()