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NASA and Russia's Space Agencies Discuss Lunar and Deep Space Cooperation
31 Jul
Summary
- NASA's temporary chief meets Russian space agency head for rare in-person talks
- Discussions cover cooperation on the moon and maintaining ISS partnership
- Talks come amid tensions over Ukraine but space programs continue to collaborate
On July 31, 2025, NASA's temporary administrator Sean Duffy met with Dmitry Bakanov, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, in a rare in-person gathering at the U.S. space agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the first such meeting between the leaders of the two space powers since 2018, signaling a potential thawing of relations despite the ongoing tensions between the United States and Russia over the war in Ukraine.
During the talks, Duffy and Bakanov discussed further cooperation on the International Space Station (ISS) as well as joint efforts on lunar programs and deep space exploration. While the specific details of these discussions were not made public, the meeting represents a significant moment for the sometimes-strained space relationship between the two countries.
Despite the political turmoil, the U.S. and Russia have maintained their collaboration on the ISS, a crucial scientific outpost that relies on the technical interdependence of the two space programs. The meeting between Duffy and Bakanov is expected to have addressed the extension of the astronaut seat exchange agreement and the planned disposal of the ISS in 2030.
The talks come as the Russian space program has become increasingly isolated due to the war, with many of its joint space exploration projects with the West collapsing. However, the continued cooperation on the ISS and the recent discussions on lunar and deep space initiatives suggest that the two space agencies are still seeking ways to maintain their longstanding partnership, even amidst the broader geopolitical tensions.
