In the installation and test case of the site No. 31 of the Baikonur cosmodrome, active preparation for the launch of the Soyuz-2.1A carrier missile continues. In early December 2021, she will lead a transport piloted ship “Soyuz MS-20” to the near-Earth orbit with the crew of the 20th Expedition of the Visit.
Currently, an external inspection of the carrier blocks, docking compartments 1a and 2a of the central block, its electrical checks, as well as pneumatic testing of two sides of the blocks – “in” and “g” is carried out. Technological operations are performed by specialists of the South Space Center (branch of the center of exploitation of objects of ground-based space infrastructure) and the Progress Rocket and Space Center (Roskosmos State Corporation).
Start of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier missile with a piloted ship “Union MS-20” is scheduled for December 8 from the starting complex “East” of the Baikonur cosmodrome. As part of the main crew – the cosmonaut of Roscosmos Alexander Misurkin (commander), Japanese entrepreneur Yusaka Maesava and his assistant Jozo Hirano. The cosmonaut of Roskosmos was included in the duplicating crew and Alexander Skvortsov and a participant in Space Flight from Japan Shun Ogiso.