Astronauts just launched on a Soyuz rocket with an energy-drink ad on it, continuing a Russian tradition

A Russia Soyuz rocket sits at Baikonur Cosmodrome’s Site 31 launch pad on July 11, 2026. Three days later, the rocket launched NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina to the International Space Station.

Astronauts just flew to Earth orbit space atop a rocket emblazoned with an energy-drink ad.

The Soyuz MS-29 launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday (July 14), from the Russian-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used a Soyuz rocket festooned with ads for Лимонад ("Lemonade") LIT ENERGY. The ads are visible in shots of the rocket's rollout on July 11, published here and here via NASA's Flickr account.