Uzbekistan, Tashkent – AN Podrobno.uz. A Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Soyuz MS-29 crewed spacecraft successfully launched from Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday evening at 19:47 local time. The spacecraft is transporting the crew of the 75th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station (ISS).

On board are Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, along with NASA astronaut Anil Menon. The mission is scheduled to last 261 days.

The scientific program includes 38 experiments, such as testing the Teledroid avatar robot and two spacewalks by Russian crew members.

The spacecraft docked with the Prichal module of the Russian segment of the ISS. After leak checks, the crew opened the hatches and transferred to the station, where they were greeted by the current Expedition 74 crew.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman observed the launch from Baikonur, his first visit in eight years. Together with Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov, he participated in a State Commission meeting and discussed space cooperation with Kazakhstan's Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Jaslan Madiyev.

Earlier, NASA announced a call for volunteers for a mission set to begin no earlier than August 2027, during which the crew will spend over a year in complete isolation.

Source: podrobno.uz