Sarah Brightman arrives at Cosmonaut Training Center to begin training
MOSCOW. Jan 19 (Interfax-AVN) - British singer Sarah Brightman, who is going to fly to the ISS as a space tourist, has arrived at the Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Roscosmos press officer Irina Zubareva told Interfax on Monday.
"Sarah Brightman has arrived in Start City and will begin training soon,' Zubareva said.
According to earlier reports, Brightman was expected to begin training on January 15, but had to fly home because of family circumstances.
Brightman's flight training program involves nine months of theoretical and practical training sessions. Throughout all this time, the singer will be under the supervision of space and medical experts. She will also have several short-term leaves.
An interdepartmental commission earlier approved Japanese citizen Satoshi Takamatsu as Brightman's backup cosmonaut. He will be trained in the Cosmonaut Training Center together with Brightman.
The British singer plans to go on a ten-day flight to the International Space Station on October 4, 2015. She is expected to be accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mongesen.