The rocket with the Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft launched to the ISS

On July 14, a rocket carrying the Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome and headed for the International Space Station (ISS).

According to the flight plan, the docking with the ISS will take place at 20:56 Moscow time. On board the spacecraft are Roscosmos cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anna Kikina, as well as astronaut Anil Menon of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The expedition will last 261 days. During this time, the specialists will conduct 38 scientific experiments and go into outer space twice.

In particular, Russian cosmonauts will install a Teledroid robotic system on the outer surface of the ISS during one of their spacewalks. As Dubrov noted, the work will be carried out as part of the second stage of the experiment. The necessary equipment for the installation of the robotic system will be delivered by one of the Russian cargo spacecraft.

The cosmonaut clarified that the main goal of the project is to create a robotic system capable of performing operations using tools familiar to humans, such as a hammer and a carbine.

"We have to adapt the robot to the overall system of the station"

Roscosmos test cosmonaut Anna Kikina — about the upcoming flight to the ISS, experiments on and off the station, and an AI assistant

The day before, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, and the head of NASA, Jared Isaakman, held a meeting at the Baikonur cosmodrome. The heads of departments held a meeting of the state commission for the approval of the crews of the Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft. The state corporation clarified that Isaakman's visit was the first visit to Baikonur by the head of the American aerospace Agency in eight years. The head of NASA thanked the entire team for their work before the flight.

The news is being updated