For the first time in 20 years, Russia launches into space from the United States

For the first time in 20 years, a Russian cosmonaut launched from the United States on Wednesday, joining NASA and Japanese astronauts on a mission to the International Space Station.

We're really happy to be doing it together, said Anna Kikina, Russia's lone female cosmonaut, in both English and Russian. "Spasibo!"

She was one of three newbies on board, along with Marine Col. Nicole Mann, the first Native American woman in space, and Navy Capt. Josh Cassada. Koichi Wakata of the Japan Space Agency, who is making his sixth mission, joined them.

Mann said, "Awesome!" "That was a smooth uphill trip. You have three rookies who are very content to be drifting in space right now."

They are scheduled to arrive at the space station on Thursday, 29 hours after leaving NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and will not return to Earth until March. They're taking the place of a US-Italian group that arrived in April.

Hurricane Ian, which destroyed areas of the state last week, caused their SpaceX journey to be delayed. The weather was perfect when the Falcon rocket launched into a beautiful midday sky.

"I hope with this launch we will brighten up the skies over Florida a little bit for everyone," Wakata stated before the flight.

Kikina is the Russian Space Agency's replacement for NASA's Frank Rubio, who traveled to the space station two weeks ago aboard a Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan. He took off with two cosmonauts. Over the summer, the space agencies decided to exchange seats on their missions in order to maintain the continual US and Russian presence onboard the 260-mile-high (420-kilometer-high) station.

Even as global hostilities escalated in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February, the barter was approved. The next crew exchange will take place in the spring. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that the primary reason for the seat swap is safety since if an emergency forces one capsule's crew to return home, there will still be an American and a Russian on board.

Meanwhile, Russia is committed to the space station until at least 2024, according to Russian space official Sergei Krikalev following liftoff. Russia plans to build its own orbiting station later this decade, but he says that would take time and that it makes sense to continue collaborating with NASA until it is ready. Krikalev, a former cosmonaut who was the first to fly on a US rocket, said the two countries are entering a new chapter of space cooperation, which began with the Apollo-Soyuz orbital linkup in 1975. Thomas Stafford, the mission's commander, was present for the launch on Wednesday.

I hope we will continue to collaborate as we did in 1975, said Krikalev, while admitting he is attempting to ease tensions between the two space organizations.

In 1994, NASA began transporting cosmonauts on its space shuttles, first to Russia's Mir space station and later to the nascent space station. The Columbia reentry tragedy in 2003 put a stop to it. However, American astronauts continued to board Russian rockets for tens of millions of dollars each seat.

Kakina is just the sixth Russian woman to launch into space. She expressed astonishment at being chosen for the seat exchange after overcoming "many tests and obstacles" throughout her decade of preparation. "But I did it anyhow. Maybe I'm lucky. I'm tough, "She stated.

Mann, a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes' Wailacki, brought her mother's dream catcher, a tiny traditional webbed hoop thought to provide protection. In 2002, Chickasaw Nation astronaut John Herrington became the first Native American in space.

"I am very proud to represent Native Americans and my heritage," Mann said before the trip, adding that each member of her crew comes from a different background. "It's important to celebrate our diversity and also realize how important it is when we collaborate and unite, the incredible accomplishments that we can have."

Concerning the Ukrainian conflict, Mann stated that all four had set politics and personal opinions aside, "and it's really cool how the common mission of the space station just instantly unites us."

"We have an opportunity to be an example for society on how to work together and live together and explore together," Cassada added.

Since 2020, Elon Musk's SpaceX has flown eight crews: six for NASA and two for commercial companies. Boeing, NASA's other contracted taxi service, aims to launch its first astronaut mission early next year, following delays caused by software and other concerns on test flights.