A SpaceX capsule carrying astronauts from the US, Japan and Russia launched to the International Space Station on Friday, the start of a planned six-month stay in orbit for NASA.

Russia’s space chief has visited the United States to discuss cooperation between Moscow and Washington on the International Space Station and lunar research with NASA’s acting chief, the first such face-to-face meeting in more than seven years.

NASA's new temporary administrator on Thursday held a rare face-to-face meeting in Florida with Russia's space agency chief, where they discussed cooperation on the moon and maintaining the space powers' longstanding relationship on the International Space Station,