First trouble, then all clear: Russian cosmonaut receives US after all

After some upset on the Russian side, a cosmonaut has finally received a visa for the USA.

Just a few days ago, the Russian space agency Roskosmos was angry because Nikolai Chub had been refused the document.

Now the agency wrote on Twitter: "The United States has issued an entry visa to Roskosmos cosmonaut Nikolai Chub."

Chub wants to fly to the United States for training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The stay there is part of the preparation for a planned stay on the International Space Station ISS in 2023.

It is common for Russian astronauts to train alongside US counterparts at the Texas facility.

Given the many conflicts between Moscow and Washington, space travel has traditionally been considered one of the few areas in which cooperation has largely been problem-free.