Russia and US space agencies meet in Texas: The last time the countries’ program directors met was during Trump’s first term

The space race might be over, but the United States and Russia remain two of the countries with the most advanced space programs in the world.

Though relations between Moscow and Washington are at a historic low—as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues and attacks escalate—representatives from NASA and explorers are meeting in Texas this week. This marks the first meeting between the two space agencies since Trump’s first administration in 2018.

Reuters reported on July 29 that Dmitry Bakanov, head of Roscosmos, had landed in Houston and was preparing to meet with Sean Duffy, the interim head of NASA, who also serves as Secretary of Transportation. The meetings took place on Thursday, July 31. While no official outcomes have been made public, the outlet noted that the two were expected to discuss the future of collaboration on the International Space Station (ISS), a long-standing area of cooperation. Russian cosmonauts and NASA astronauts have continued to work together at the ISS, alongside space astronauts from other space agencies, even as tensions on Earth remain high.

The future of the ISS

The Russian side was not too tight-lipped, however. A message posted on Telegram stated that “the parties discussed further work on the ISS, cooperation on lunar programs, joint exploration of deep space, [and] continued interaction on other space projects.” France 24 reported that the two sides continue operating the ISS until 2028, but the future of the floating hub is unknown after that date. The French outlet pointed to comments made by the Russian outlet TASS, where Bakanov said that “The dialogue went well,” and that after the two sides would continue to “work on the issue of de-orbiting it until 2030.”

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