Dmitry Rogozin was dismissed! Elon Musk's trampoline is now officially international spacecraft.
This is definitely not a sad story for the space industry.
The ever-controversial head of the Russian space program, Dmitri Rogozin, is being replaced by deputy prime minister Yury Borisov, according to an official statement by the Kremlin.
The decree is effective immediately on July 15, the same day the agency and NASA signed a long-anticipated agreement to exchange seats on flights to the International Space Station.
The first missions—with a Russian on SpaceX's Crew Dragon and an American on Soyuz vehicles—will fly in September.
How will all this happen?
Let’s find out in today's episode of Alpha Tech Channel:


As a long-awaited historic event, NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, have just agreed to exchange seats on four upcoming missions to the International Space Station. The first missions—with a Russian on SpaceX's Crew Dragon and an American on Soyuz vehicles—will fly in September.
Dragon is the only U.S spacecraft currently flying capable of taking humans to the Space Station.


Such “integrated crews,” with Russian cosmonauts on Crew Dragon spacecraft and American astronauts on Soyuz spacecraft, are essential to safe ISS operations, NASA explained in a statement.


Flying integrated crews ensures there are appropriately trained crew members on board the station for essential maintenance and spacewalks.
This also protects against contingencies such as a problem with any crew spacecraft, serious crew medical issues, or an emergency aboard the station that requires a crew and the vehicle they are assigned to return to Earth sooner than planned.”


NASA spokesman Josh Finch said in a statement: "The no-exchange-of-funds arrangement includes transportation to and from the International Space Station and comprehensive mission support, including all necessary training and preparation for launch, flight operations, landing, and crew rescue services".


NASA confirmed that Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina will go to the ISS in September on the Crew-5 Crew Dragon spacecraft, with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio launching later in the month on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft. In addition, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev has been assigned to the Crew-6 mission, launching in spring 2023, while NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will fly on Soyuz MS-23 around the same time.


Integrated crews have been the norm throughout the International Space Station Program, and they're an important symbol of cooperation between Russia and the United States despite geopolitical tensions. A Russian cosmonaut, Sergei Krikalev, was the first Russian to fly on a US space vehicle, riding on board NASA's space shuttle in 1994. A year later, NASA astronaut Norman Thagard flew to the Mir space station on a Soyuz vehicle.
Dmitry Rogozin was dismissed! Elon Musk's trampoline is now officially international spacecraft.