Krikalev Says Discussed With Nelson US-Russian Cooperation, Need For Stable Technical Ties

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2022) ENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida, October 6 (Sputnik) - Roscosmos Human Space Flight Programs Executive Director Sergei KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (Pakistan Point news / Sputnik - 06th October, 2022) rikalev told Sputnik that during his current visit to the United States he has met with NASA Chief Bill Nelson and the two discussed directions for further collaboration as well as the need for stable technical cooperation.

"We discussed our cooperation and discussed directions for further cooperation," Krikalev shared. "In general, for now, we continue to do what we have been doing. We noted that technical cooperation should be very stable... that despite any political ebbs and flows, technical things should be based on technical rationality, expediency."

The visit come amid the heightened tensions between the two countries.

Krikalev noted that during the meeting with Nelson they recalled that the Soyuz-Apollo began at the very height of the Cold War.

"Therefore, unfortunately, sometimes politics and technology go together, sometimes they diverge a little bit," he said.

"But we try to keep such a line of reasonable positive technical cooperation. I think that this will help, perhaps, to improve some political relations in the future. I hope."

Krikalev attended that launch of the SpaceX Crew-5 mission spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut, earlier in the day. The vehicle successfully blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Krikalev also revealed that the Russian cosmonauts are currently training in Houston and American astronauts are training in Star City in Russia .

In July, Roscosmos and NASA signed an agreement on integrated flights of cosmonauts and astronauts to the ISS. As part of the agreement, the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with a Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft was launched from Baikonur to the ISS on September 21 carrying a crew including Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin as well as NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio. The only female cosmonaut at Roscosmos, Ann Kikina, is currently flying with the Crew-5 team to the ISS aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft named Endurance.