Frank Rubio joined cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin for the launch on Soyuz MS-22.
Cristoforetti will hand over command to Prokopyev before she return to Earth.
Rubio's and Kikina's rides to space were arranged under a new crew exchange agreement between NASA and. By flying each other's crew members, the two space agencies ensure there is always at least one U.S. astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut aboard the station, a necessity for keeping the complex fully operational.
"I think this crew swap really represents the ongoing effort of the tremendous teams on both sides and amazing people that made this happen," said Rubio."I think it's important when we're at moments of possible attention elsewhere that human spaceflight and exploration — something that both agencies are incredibly passionate about — remains a form of diplomacy and partnership where we can find common ground and keep achieving things together.
Prokopyev, 47, is on his second flight into space. He previously served as a flight engineer on the station's 56th and 57th expedition crews, logging 197 days in orbit in 2018. Petelin, 39, and Rubio, 46, are on their first spaceflight. Petelin was selected as a cosmonaut in 2012, five years before Rubio, a U.S. Army flight surgeon, began hisSoyuz MS-22 is Russia's 68th Soyuz to launch for the International Space Station since 2000 and 151st to fly since 1967.
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