About 75 Mice to Fly into Space: Bion-M No. 2 Biosatellite to Launch from Baikonur on August 20

The launch dates for the Bion-M No. 2 biological satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome have been determined. This was reported at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.C

The spacecraft will carry 75 mice, 1,500 fruit flies, as well as various plants and microorganisms. The satellite will be launched into a high-latitude orbit to test its safety, as it is planned to launch the Russian Orbital Station into this orbit in the future.

The Bion series consists of domestic spacecraft designed for biological research and the study of the effects of radiation and weightlessness on living organisms. The first spacecraft, called Cosmos-605, was launched in 1973, and in 2013, the first satellite from the Bion-M series was launched into orbit. It carried mice, Mongolian gerbils, geckos, snails, plants, and colonies of various microorganisms.

Earlier www1.ru reported that Roscosmos is preparing to launch the Bion-M No. 2 satellite with unique experiments.

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