NASA and Roscosmos extend Soyuz–Crew Dragon seat swaps, Starliner not included

NASA and Roscosmos have officially confirmed the extension of their seat-barter agreement for flights to the International Space Station. The deal lets U.S. astronauts fly on Russian Soyuz spacecraft while Russian cosmonauts ride on American Crew Dragon capsules, ensuring both nations keep personnel aboard the station even if one vehicle is grounded for an extended period.

Russian media reported in July, after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman met Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov, that the two sides had agreed in principle to continue the arrangement. That meeting was the first face-to-face between the two leaders and the first visit by a NASA chief to Russia or the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan since 2018. NASA declined to comment on the talks at the time.

Details of the extension remain thin. At an Aug. 3 briefing about the Crew-13 mission, whose crew again includes a Russian cosmonaut, NASA officials confirmed the deal but did not specify which missions it covers. Dana Weigel, NASA's low Earth orbit program manager, said the agencies plan about 18 months ahead and are "covered for a number of missions with the exchanges." She did not know the exact flights involved, and the agency had not provided that list by the end of Aug. 5 as promised.

Weigel also said the agreement does not yet include Boeing's Starliner, which NASA has not certified for long-duration crewed ISS missions. "We have not finished the work on Starliner. What they're waiting to see is the rest of our flight and certification data," she said. "They'd like to see that data before we go into it."

Work with Boeing has focused on propulsion issues seen during the vehicle's last flight, the Crew Flight Test mission two years ago, when thrusters in the service module overheated during approach to the station. NASA and Boeing officials have said they aim to fly Starliner again on a cargo-only mission, possibly before the end of this year.