The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft carrying 3 astronauts heads towards the International Space Station following an incident that occurred two days prior.
Successful Launch of the Russian Spacecraft
Soyuz MS-25 successfully launches after a delay due to an incident. (Photo: Reuters).
On the evening of March 23 (Vietnam time), the launch mission of the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, conducted by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, successfully took place at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The spacecraft carries 3 crew members: NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson (United States), Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy (Russia), and Marina Vasilevskaya (Belarus).
This mission marks the first spaceflight to include 2 female astronauts. Among them, Marina Vasilevskaya is the first Belarusian woman to participate in a spaceflight.
Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya are expected to stay at the station for about 12 days before returning to Earth with another astronaut aboard the Soyuz MS-24. Meanwhile, Dyson will join the permanent crew as an engineer, working at the station for the next 6 months.
Previously, the launch of the Soyuz spacecraft originally scheduled for March 21 was canceled due to a technical issue. According to Reuters, a minor malfunction with the chemical power source occurred just seconds before liftoff, prompting a delay to ensure safety.
After successfully departing from the launch pad and entering Earth orbit, the Soyuz MS-25 will autonomously dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on March 25. Prior to docking, the spacecraft completed 34 orbits around the Earth.
Experts consider space exploration one of the last remaining fields where the U.S. and Russia continue to collaborate, despite the deteriorating relations due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Marina Vasilevskaya (33 years old) is the first Belarusian woman to participate in a space mission (Photo: Roscosmos).
First Belarusian Woman in Space
The highlight of the flight, as mentioned, is the presence of Marina Vasilevskaya (33 years old) – the first Belarusian woman to take part in a space mission.
Vasilevskaya was previously a flight attendant and was selected by the Belarusian Academy of Sciences and the Belarusian Space Agency through a nationwide competition, being one of 6 chosen from over 3,000 female applicants.
She surpassed another flight attendant, two scientists, and two doctors to become the first Belarusian woman honored with a spaceflight opportunity.
After applying, Vasilevskaya underwent a rigorous training process lasting about six months, including practice on a Soyuz spacecraft simulator. Anastasia Lenkova, a 28-year-old pediatric surgeon, was designated as Vasilevskaya’s backup in case she could not complete the mission.
Prior to her participation in the Soyuz mission, Vasilevskaya had several years of experience serving on commercial flights with Boeing (USA) and Embraer (Brazil). She is highly regarded for her experience in managing emergency situations during flights.
