Russian And American Crew Reach Space Station Together From Baikonur
Anna Kikina and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos and Anil Menon of NASA arrived July 14 and marked the occasion with a cake four days later, on July 18, 2026.
- The trio launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and joined Expedition 74 as flight engineers.
- Kikina, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly on a US commercial crew vehicle in 2022, now rides under the Russian flag alongside Dubrov.
- The photo released July 18 shows the three holding a cake, a ritual that outlasts the hostilities their governments prosecute below.
Why it matters: The ISS remains one of the few operational conduits between Washington and Moscow, running on a diplomatic rhythm that simply ignores the rupture beneath it.