US, Russia Space Chiefs Hold First Direct Meeting Since 2018, Vow to Continue Cooperation

The meeting came amid American and Russian astronauts teaming up for a mission to the International Space Station.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, Jaxa astronaut Kimiya Yui, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Control Building at the Kennedy Space Center for Space Launch Complex 39A in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on July 31, 2025. This is NASA's 11th crew rotation and 12th human spaceflight mission to the space station supported by the Dragon spacecraft since 2020, as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images

Representatives of NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos met on Thursday in a rare meeting and committed to continuing cooperation in endeavors such as the International Space Station (ISS).

The meeting was held between NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy and Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the first time since 2018 that the heads of the two space agencies have met in person.