Roscosmos Weekly (6 Feb. 2026)

Roscosmos Weekly (6 Feb. 2026) Roscosmos Weekly (6 Feb. 2026): Russia’s Space Warriors Get Ready: From Arctic Survival to Dragon Docking - by Frederic Eger - This week, Russia’s space program turned up the heat, even with the Arctic cold biting at their heels. Roscosmos launched a new search for cosmonauts, hunting across the country for the next group bold enough to stare down the emptiness of space. Even as talk swirls about Western partners stepping back from the ISS by 2028, and the usual political jostling ramps up, Moscow’s not slowing down. They want to keep their spot in orbit—no matter who else decides to leave. Up north at Plesetsk, a Soyuz-2.1b rocket roared off the pad, carrying what everyone assumes are top-secret payloads. No one’s talking about what’s onboard, but when rockets fly from Plesetsk, most folks figure they’re watching the skies over the Arctic—especially with NATO sniffing around up there. The Soyuz, still the backbone of Russia’s launch fleet, keeps proving it can handle the cold and the pressure, whether for commercial customers or military eyes. Meanwhile, cosmonaut trainees got tossed into the deep end—Siberian style. Imagine slogging through blizzards, building shelters from scratch, sharing whatever heat you can scrape together, all just to prove you can take whatever space throws at you. There’s nothing glamorous about this training. It’s raw, hard, and necessary. This is how Roscosmos forges people tough enough for the black—just like the legends from Soyuz and Mir days. And then there’s the headline moment: Andrei Fedyaev, a Soyuz veteran, gearing up for his final run to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. This is Russia and the U.S. working together, even when politics say otherwise. Fedyaev isn’t jumping ship—he’s making the most of a rare chance, training with NASA, suiting up, running through American protocols. It’s part rivalry, part reluctant partnership, and it keeps the space station crew multinational in a world that keeps splitting apart. All of it says one thing: Russia’s space program isn’t backing down. They’re recruiting, launching, grinding through Siberian winters, and shaking hands with old rivals. As U.S.-Russia cooperation wobbles—Artemis on one side, Luna dreams on the other—Roscosmos is betting that grit and flexibility will keep them in the game. Can Russia turn winter’s bite into the next giant leap? If you listen to Moscow, the answer’s yes—they plan to turn every blizzard into a booster. Read More

2026-6
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