US still interested in possibility of having astronauts fly on board Soyuz: Roscosmos

The United States may purchase a seat on the Russian Soyuz in the spring of next year, as a precaution, in case of any issues with commercial US spacecraft, Roscosmos Deputy Director General for International Cooperation Sergey Saveliev told Sputnik.

"The Americans are leaving this opportunity [acquiring a Soyuz seat in the spring of 2022] as an option, counting on help and assistance from Russia, but I can't say anything more particular yet," Saveliev said.

In June, a space industry source told Sputnik that NASA could purchase a Soyuz seat to send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in the spring of 2022.

In April, a Soyuz spacecraft brought two Russian cosmonauts - Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov - and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei to the ISS.

Since 2006, the US has purchased over 70 seats on board Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.

Source: RIA Novosti

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