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Roscosmos, NASA to coordinate satellite operations to prevent collisions

Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov says Russia's satellite constellation includes hundreds of spacecraft, while partner constellations include thousands

BAIKONUR, July 14. /TASS/. Roscosmos and NASA will begin more detailed coordination of satellite operations to prevent collisions, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov said.

"NASA colleagues made a very reasonable request to begin more detailed coordination between satellite constellations. <...> There are risks of collisions, which must not be allowed. Therefore, Roscosmos and NASA will work very closely in this area," he said at a news conference after the Soyuz MS-29 crewed spacecraft docked with the International Space Station.

According to Bakanov, Russia's satellite constellation includes hundreds of spacecraft, while partner constellations include thousands.

The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle carrying the crewed spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:48 p.m. GMT. The ship docked with the orbital station at 5:53 p.m. GMT. The crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, the first woman to serve as a TASS special correspondent aboard the ISS, as well as NASA astronaut Anil Menon. The mission is expected to last 261 days.