American Astronaut Frank Rubio to Launch on Russian Soyuz-2.1a to the International Space Station on September 21
According to RT, the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced that a team of NASA experts, including astronaut Frank Rubio, has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to prepare for the launch of the Soyuz-2.1a spacecraft scheduled for September 21.
“The American expert team has arrived in Baikonur to prepare for the first seat-sharing flight on the Soyuz spacecraft,” Roscosmos stated in a press release.
The Soyuz-2.1a spacecraft at the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) ready for the launch on September 21. (Photo: Sputnik)
NASA experts will also participate in the launch of the Soyuz-2.1a spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). This launch will carry three astronauts: Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin from Russia, and Frank Rubio from the United States.
The upcoming Soyuz-2.1a launch marks the first flight under the seat-sharing program for missions to the ISS, which was approved by Moscow and Washington earlier this year despite the deteriorating relations between the two countries.
The cooperation agreement for ISS flights was signed by Roscosmos and NASA in July.
The second flight under the seat-sharing program is expected to take place later this fall, using the Crew Dragon spacecraft from SpaceX. Representing Russia on this flight will be astronaut Anna Kikina.
Over two decades of collaboration to maintain the space station, NASA and Roscosmos have sought to innovate crewed flights for both countries as part of their long-standing civil alliance.
Previously, these agencies have shared seats for astronauts on American space shuttles and Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
