U.S. and Russia discuss moon, ISS ties in rare NASA-Roscosmos meeting

NASA's Sean Duffy and Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov met in Florida for the first NASA-Russia space chief talks since 2018, focusing on lunar and ISS cooperation.

In a rare display of space diplomacy, NASA's new temporary administrator Sean Duffy met with Dmitry Bakanov, head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday. According to Roscosmos, the two sides discussed joint efforts on lunar exploration and ways to maintain their collaboration aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The meeting marked the first in-person engagement between the leaders of NASA and Roscosmos since 2018, a period marked by strained U.S.-Russia relations. Despite broader geopolitical tensions, both agencies have maintained scientific ties, particularly concerning the ISS, which remains one of the few areas of sustained cooperation between the two countries.

Roscosmos said the talks "underlined the importance of continuing joint projects in low Earth orbit and exploring the moon as a shared frontier." NASA has not yet released a detailed statement but confirmed that discussions took place on "mutual areas of interest."

The ISS, launched in 1998, has long symbolised U.S.-Russia cooperation in space, even during times of diplomatic discord. Russia had earlier indicated plans to withdraw from the ISS programme after 2028, while NASA is working to extend operations through 2030.

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