26 Aug 2022 12:10

Cosmonaut Kikina to go to U.S. on Sept 8 for final training before ISS mission

MOSCOW. Aug 26 (Interfax) - Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina has said she is going to the United States on September 8 for the final training before a flight to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard a U.S. Crew Dragon spaceship.

"I am going to America on September 8 for the final training session and preflight preparations," Kikina said at a press conference on Friday.

Roscosmos said on Thursday that the Crew Dragon 5, whose crew includes Kikina, will head to the ISS on October 3.

A Falcon 9 launch vehicle coupled with the U.S. Crew Dragon 5 manned spaceship, operated by NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata along with Kikina, will take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

On July 15, Roscosmos said it had signed an agreement on cross-flights of Russian cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts to the ISS.