Photo courtesy of Roscosmos
MOSCOW, 6 March (BelTA) – The main crew and the backup crew of the manned spacecraft Soyuz MS-25, which includes two women from Belarus, have arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome before their flight to the International Space Station (ISS), the Roscosmos press service told BelTA.
Representatives of the technical administration and the state commission welcomed the crews at the Krainy airfield. Commanding officers of the crews told the administration they are ready for the flight and for taking over the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft. Then the cosmonauts went to the testing, education, and training complex of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (part of Roscosmos) where they will have to complete preflight training and medical exams.
The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft is scheduled to be launched by a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle on 21 March. The main crew includes the Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, the Belarusian woman participant of the space flight Marina Vasilevskaya, and the NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson. The backup crew includes the Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner, the Belarusian woman participant of the space flight Anastasia Lenkova, and the NASA astronaut Donald Pettit.
BelTA reported earlier that a solemn ceremony took place in the Cosmonaut Training Center in Zvyozdny Gorodok, Moscow Oblast in the morning on 6 March to send off the main crew and the backup crew to the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Members of their families and close relatives took part in the send-off ceremony.
