Nasa chief plays down reports of friction with Russian counterparts

The International Space Station orbits 264 miles above the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship docked (NASA via AP)

Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson on Friday played down recent comments by the head of Russia’s space agency that the United States would have to use broomsticks to fly to space after Russia said it would stop supplying rocket engines to US companies.

“That’s just Dmitry Rogozin. He spouts off every now and then. But at the end of the day, he’s worked with us,” Nelson told the Associated Press.