The event gave the outgoing commander of the ISS, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev, an opportunity to allude to the conflict in Ukraine: "Despite the storms on Earth, our international cooperation continues", he said. said.
This is the second time in space for Samantha Cristoforetti, a 45-year-old engineer and fighter pilot, who left for the ISS on April 27.
She holds the record for the longest space stay for a woman on a mission, with a stay of 199 days in orbit, in 2014 and 2015.
The astronaut is the fifth woman, and the first non-American, to take command of the spacecraft since a commander was officially appointed in the year 2000.
During an informal and relaxed ceremony, the current commander, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev, symbolically presented her with a golden key for her assumption of duty, which she will assume until October 10, for her return to Earth. .
The Russian cosmonaut praised the work of the team of ten astronauts from three countries of which he is a part.
He described the ISS as a "continuation of the Soyuz-Apollo program, when the relationship between the countries there too was not simple, and when men were found to continue this path which leads to peace, and that makes the war end, everywhere".
Russian-Western cooperation in the space field is weighed down by the offensive launched by Russia since February 24 against its Ukrainian neighbor.
The Western sanctions taken against Russia because of this offensive partly affect the Russian aerospace industry and risk having effects on the ISS, some supplies of which could be disrupted.
For her part, Samantha Cristoforetti praised the work of her teammates and remarked that all of them form "a tiny part of the gigantic team on the ground" which manages the operations of the ISS.
© 2022 AFP