KENNEDY SPACE CENTER /UNITED STATES/, October 5. /TASS/. The beginning of cross Russian-US spaceflights in a way continued the cooperation that started with the Apollo-Soyuz first ever joint experimental spaceflight, Roscosmos manned space programs director Sergey Krikalyov said during a press conference on the Crew Dragon spacecraft launch.

"I would like to note that we simply continue what we started many years ago, in 1975, when the Apollo-Soyuz worked together," Krikalyov said.

On July 15, Roscosmos announced an agreement on joint cross flights of Russian and American spacemen to the ISS. According to Roscosmos cosmonaut team commander Oleg Kononenko, the current agreement provides for three flights of Russian cosmonauts aboard a US-made Crew Dragon spacecraft. On September 21, NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio departed to the ISS aboard a Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft under the cross flight program.