The Soyuz MS-29 rocket launched to the International Space Station on July 14 from Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying ads for LIT ENERGY lemonade and artwork from children with cancer supporting the Unity Charitable Foundation. Russia has long used rocket advertising as a revenue source, but recent changes to Russian law now formally allow Roscosmos to place ads on space objects starting January 1, 2026, a shift driven partly by economic pressures and the loss of international partnerships following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The advertising practice is not new to Russian spaceflight -- a 1990 Soyuz carried Japanese corporate patches, Mir hosted RadioShack and Pepsi ads, and Pizza Hut paid roughly $1.25 million for a Proton rocket ad in 2000. Tuesday's launch also marked a significant diplomatic moment, as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended a Soyuz launch for the first time in eight years and met with Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov, leading Russia to announce a two-year extension of its ISS commitment through 2030 and agreement in principle to continue providing NASA astronaut seats on Soyuz vehicles in exchange for U.S. commercial spacecraft seats.