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.

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.

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,