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BAIKONUR / Kazakhstan /, 13 October / TASS /. The Russian state commission has approved the crew of the 64th long-term expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), State Space Corporation Roscosmos announced on its website Tuesday.
A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with a manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft is set to take off from Site No. 31 (Vostok launch pad) of the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 08:45 Moscow time on October 14.
“The base crew of the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft includes cosmonauts Roscosmos Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins. The backup crew includes cosmonauts Roscosmos Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, “statement says.
The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle is expected to orbit the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft in about nine minutes after takeoff. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the Rassvet module of the orbital outpost at 11:52 am Moscow time on the same day. Therefore, the flight will proceed for the first time using the two-orbit scheme.
During the new expedition, Russian cosmonauts Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov will conduct 55 research studies and experiments, including four new probes. Three scientific experiments will be carried out without the participation of the crew. Cosmonauts are also ready to go on two spacewalks. One of these will take place in November 2020 and the other in February 2021.
Both spacewalks will be needed to unhook and unload the Pirs module next year. This is necessary to clear the place for Russia’s new Nauka (Science) module to be launched in April 2021.
Currently, Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy are working aboard the orbital outpost.
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