Soyuz MS-17 crew approved for ISS mission this fall
MOSCOW. May 29 (Interfax) - The crew of the Soyuz MS-17 spaceship that will head to the International Space Station (ISS) in October will include Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, as well as NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins, Roscosmos said.
"By resolution of the inter-agency commission, the main crew of Expedition 64 will consist of Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov (expedition 64 commander; Soyuz MS commander) and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov (Expedition 64 flight engineer; Soyuz MS flight engineer), as well as NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins (Expedition 64 flight engineer; Soyuz MS flight engineer 2)," Roscosmos said.
The members of the backup crew are Russians Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov and NASA's Mark Vande Hei. Also, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, another reserve crew has been formed, which is made up of Anton Shkaplerov and Andrei Babkin.
It was reported earlier this month that Novitsky, Dubrov, Kud-Sverchkov, and Ryzhikov had arrived in the United States to train for the ISS flight.
The Soyuz MS-17 was scheduled to launch in October 2020. Roscosmos executive director for manned missions Sergei Krikalyov said that for the first time in 20 years, the crew was to be made up of only Russians. However, later, because the U.S. manned spaceships were not ready, NASA asked Roscosmos for additional seats on Soyuz spaceships.
Initially, the main crew of the Soyuz MS-17 was to include Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, but they were sent to the ISS on board Soyuz MS-16, instead of the main crew's Andrei Babkin and Nikolai Tikhonov, who were barred from the flight for medical reasons.