A Soyuz-2.1a rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 14, delivering cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina and NASA astronaut Anil Menon to the International Space Station for an eight-month mission. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch in person, marking the first time a sitting NASA administrator has witnessed a Soyuz launch at Baikonur since October 2018. Isaacman's attendance was notable given that Menon is married to Anna Menon, who flew with Isaacman on the Polaris Dawn private mission in 2024.
The Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft docked with the station's Prichal module about three hours after launch. According to Russian media, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov met with Isaacman before the launch and announced that Roscosmos has committed to continuing ISS operations through 2030 instead of the previously scheduled 2028 retirement date. The agencies also agreed in principle to continue bartering seats between Soyuz and commercial crew vehicles to maintain crew redundancy and agreed to improve coordination of satellite constellations to avoid collisions. Isaacman also met with Russian deputy prime minister Denis Manturov to discuss potential cooperation between future commercial space stations and Russia's proposed successor to the ISS.