US astronaut to ride Russian spacecraft home during tensions

The International Space Station is seen orbiting the Earth (Peter Byrne/PA)

US astronaut Mark Vande Hei has made it through nearly a year in space, but faces what could be his trickiest assignment yet: riding a Russian capsule back to Earth in the midst of deepening tensions between the countries.

Nasa insists Vande Hei’s homecoming plans at the end of the month remain unchanged, even as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in cancelled launches, broken contracts and an escalating war of words by the Russian Space Agency’s hardline leader.