Three Russian astronauts are scheduled to head to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday amid the chaos of Russia's continued attacks in Ukraine and Moscow's growing tension with the West.
The cosmonauts, Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveyev and Sergei Korsakov, plan to lift off in a Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
It is the first time in years that an all-Russian crew will fly to the ISS. The express flight to the human outpost is expected to take just under three hours.
Currently, two Russian and four American crew members are working on the ISS – and the German Matthias Maurer, who turns 52 on Friday.
The sanctions imposed on Moscow because of Russia's attack on Ukraine have also put a heavy strain on space cooperation.
Russia's space agency Roscosmos has left the future of the station in doubt after the contract expires in 2024. The U.S. space agency NASA is aiming for a term until 2030.
Moscow has stopped supplying rocket engines to the U.S. in response to the punitive measures. Cooperation with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has also been suspended.
