MOSCOW (AP) — The head of the U.S. space agency says he is sure that the cause will be determined of a mysterious hole that appeared on the International Space Station, which his Russian counterpart has said was deliberately drilled.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine also said Tuesday that collaboration with Russia's Roscosmos remains important, despite recent comments by agency head Dmitry Rogozin that Russia wouldn't accept a "second-tier role" in a NASA-led plan to build an outpost near the moon.

The hole that appeared in a Russian Soyuz capsule docked to the ISS caused a brief loss of air pressure in August before being patched.

Bridenstine met with Rogozin in Moscow on Tuesday and both are to attend the Thursday launch of a manned capsule to the space station.