NASA Chief Watches ISS Launch from Baikonur for First Time in 8 Years

The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced that NASA Chief Jared Isaacman visited the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the first time in 8 years and observed the launch of a Russian-American crew to the International Space Station (ISS). During his visit, NASA Chief Jared Isaacman witnessed the launch of a manned spacecraft to the ISS. This marks the first time in 8 years that a top-level NASA official has monitored the launch from Baikonur.At 17:48 Moscow time, the "Soyuz-2.1a" carrier rocket was successfully launched from Baikonur's launch pad 31 with a crew bound for the ISS as part of the 75th long-duration expedition. The joint crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, as well as NASA astronaut Anil Menon. According to Roscosmos, the "Soyuz MS-29" spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS's "Prichal" module at 20:56.