posted 11-19-2020 08:34 PM               

In return, Russia will continue launching U.S. and international astronauts on Soyuz missions.

But NASA will no longer be sending cash payments to the Russian government for the Soyuz seats. Instead, NASA will provide Russian cosmonauts with rides on SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner spaceships.

Kathy Lueders, head of NASA's human spaceflight directorate, said Thursday that the space agency has submitted an "implementing agreement" to the U.S. State Department for review and approval. The agreement would then go through a similar process in the Russian government for approval.

The deal would allow the U.S. and Russian space agencies "to fly at least one crew member on each one of our vehicles," Lueders said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. "So we'll be following along, working through that process and getting that agreement approved on our side, and then also then after we approve it, it will go over to the Russians for their approval."