Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more SpaceX has removed a Russian cosmonaut from an upcoming mission to the International Space Station over national security concerns, according to a report. Oleg Artemyev, who was supposed to be part of a four-person crew scheduled to launch in February, allegedly took photos of SpaceX rocket engines and classified documentation, The Insider reported. The 54-year-old has been part of three previous missions to the ISS, most recently in 2022, spending a total of 560 days in space. “It’s hard to imagine an experienced cosmonaut making such a serious mistake unintentionally,” space industry analyst Georgy Trishkin told the publication. Russian space agency Roscosmos said in a statement published on Telegram that a “decision was made due to Oleg Artemyev's transfer to another job”. No further details were given, with the space agency describing Mr Artemyev as a “hero of Russia”. Nasa and SpaceX are yet to comment on Mr Artemyev’s removal. Fellow cosmonaut Andrei Fedyayev has been named as his replacement for the upcoming Crew-12 mission. The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than 15 February, with crew members set to spend six months aboard the ISS. open image in gallery Oleg Artemyev looks out of the window of the Soyuz capsule just minutes after landing in a Soyuz TMA-12M capsule on 11 September, 2014 in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (Getty Images)