The first stage of the rehabilitation plan for Anna Kikina, the only Russian woman to travel to the International Space Station, will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This phase is described as an initial recovery period following her splashdown aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft and will be supervised by a team of physicians from the Russian Federation. The rehabilitation process will be conducted on site at the American facility under the direction of specialists who are coordinating with the Russian medical team.
According to the official briefing from Roscosmos, the practice will begin after Kikina lands and is brought to the Johnson Space Center to start the first wound, sensory, and physical recovery steps. The Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu. A. Gagarin will ensure that doctors are available at the site to support her in the immediate postflight phase.
Following the initial in-country rehabilitation, the main portion of Kikina’s recovery is planned to continue at the Central Clinical Hospital and other facilities back in Russia, where follow-up care and long-term rehabilitation will be provided by domestic medical professionals and space medicine specialists.
Kikina’s historic flight marked the first time a Russian cosmonaut joined the Crew Dragon spacecraft managed by SpaceX, a mission conducted within the NASA Roscosmos collaborative framework. This crossover program emphasized joint operations, shared training standards, and coordinated medical support across international teams.
As reported on October 7, the Crew Dragon crew, including Anna Kikina, was successfully transferred to the International Space Station. The docking of the Crew Dragon with the ISS occurred automatically at 00:01 Moscow time, confirming a smooth integration into the orbital platform and the beginning of in-orbit operations that support ongoing research and exploration goals. The subsequent on-orbit activities will set the stage for Kikina to contribute to science objectives while preparing for return and postflight care that continues in coordination with both Russian and American medical partners. Citations: Roscosmos press communications and NASA Roscosmos program briefs.