Today, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the assembly and testing facility of Site 254, a final inspection of the «Soyuz MS-26» manned spacecraft for the 72nd long-term expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) took place.
The prime and backup crews received an introductory briefing, took their places in the spacecraft, familiarized themselves with the placement of equipment and cargo, and checked the operability of onboard systems in test mode.
After the inspection, the cosmonauts visited the Baikonur Cosmodrome museum and left their autographs there. Roscosmos specialists began disconnecting ground testing equipment and preparing the space head section for shipment to assembly with the «Soyuz-2.1a» launch vehicle in the assembly and testing facility of Site 31.
The launch of «Soyuz MS-26» is scheduled for September 11. The prime crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner, as well as NASA astronaut Donald Pettit. The backup crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, as well as NASA astronaut Jonathan Kim.
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Rolled out, inspected, loaded: «Soyuz MS-26» is preparing for flight at Baikonur
«Soyuz MS-26» is already at the refueling station in Baikonur
The ISS has increased its orbit and is ready to receive «Soyuz MS-26»