The final stage of preparations for the launch of "Soyuz MS-25", scheduled for March 21, 2024, is underway at Baikonur. The international crew has practiced operations in space and fitted their spacesuits.
Today in the assembly and testing facility at Site 254, the crews fitted their spacesuits, tested them for airtightness, and took their places in the spacecraft to check the service equipment, study the flight program, and familiarize themselves with the onboard documentation. Then, the expedition participants will practice dynamic operations and check the stowage of equipment and materials.
The "Soyuz MS-25" itself, according to Roscosmos, has already been assembled into a "package" for launch.
The crew heading to the ISS on March 21 includes Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, the first female cosmonaut from Belarus, Marina Vasilevskaya, and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson.
Twelve days later, Novitsky and Vasilevskaya will return to Earth on the "Soyuz MS-24" along with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara. Tracy Caldwell Dyson will remain on the ISS.
Almost everything is ready for the launch of the crew with the call sign "Kazbek", right down to the emblem. It is made in the form of a shield, which means victory and achievement of goals. The emblem, in the shape of a triangle, features the surnames of the flight participants, as well as the national flags of the participating countries in the expedition.
Earlier, under the cross-flight program between Russia and the United States to the ISS with NASA astronauts, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin departed. The launch of the Falcon-9 launch vehicle with the Crew Dragon spacecraft was postponed for a day due to weather conditions, but in the end, the Crew-8 mission successfully arrived at the ISS.
