Belarus’ NAS: Belarusian-Russian crew of Soyuz MS-25 to perform scientific research

Some scientific research is planned in the flight programme of the crew on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft – as stated by the Deputy Head of the Space Activities Department of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences, Ivan Bucha, at the opening of the Orbits of Friendship exhibition in Moscow that is dedicated to the Belarusian space exploration contribution

Ivan Bucha stated that the scientific flight programme has been developed and approved by Roscosmos State Corporation and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

“Now, it includes seven experiments, of which five are research and two are educational, with four scientific organisations participating on the part of Belarus. These will be experiments in medicine, biology, physiology, and Earth remote sensing. By the way, the International Space Station (ISS) has photo and video equipment for exploring the Earth's surface using Belarusian developments, which will also be used in one of the experiments.”

Ivan Bucha noted that the crew members were undergoing a medical examination.

“Representatives of Belarus Marina Vasilevskaya and Anastasia Lenkova are completing preparations for a space flight at the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Centre. From February 12th to 15th, they undergo a comprehensive medical examination to determine whether they are fit enough for space. At the moment, we are satisfied that everything is fine with the medical examination.”

Next, the flight programme of the crew includes exam training, departure to Baikonur and launch in the second half of March.

“We hope that everything will run in a regular mode, everything will be planned: the launch, the flight to the ISS, and the return to Earth,” the Deputy Head of the Space Activities Department of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences concluded. 

The Deputy Head of the 1st Department of the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Centre for the selection and training of cosmonauts for flight and ground tests and operation of manned spacecraft, cosmonaut, Anton Shkaplerov, noted that the training takes place on a regular basis.

“The crew is preparing according to the training plan, there are no delays. It's nice that the girls, who have a very short time to prepare, train with dedication and at a high level. They passed all the exams with flying colours.”