MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2023) Russian cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Sergey Prokopyev, and Andrey Fedyaev, who are currently on the International Space Station (ISS), on Wednesday congratulated their colleagues and all Russians on Cosmonautics Day and said that Russia will continue studying the Moon and other planets of the Solar System.
Cosmonautics Day is celebrated in Russia and some other post-Soviet republics on April 12 in dedication to the first crewed space flight made on April 12, 1961, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
"Dear friends, compatriots, and colleagues, we congratulate you on Cosmonautics Day! Over 60 years ago, Yuri Gagarin paved the way for mankind to go into space. But we remember that there were tens of thousands of people behind his back, whose selfless work made it possible to implement the idea of space flights," Prokopyev said in a video published by Russian space corporation Roscosmos.
Petelin said that Russian cosmonauts proudly continue the work started by their predecessors. He also expressed gratitude to all the workers of the rocket and space industry of Russia, who made his flight to the ISS possible, the ones who "around the clock, without days off and holidays ensure the safety of our space home - the International Space Station."
"Russian cosmonautics does not stand still. Our plans are to continue studying the Moon and the planets of the Solar System, create a new orbital station, and launch new spacecraft to study deep space. All this is possible thanks to the professionals working in our industry. Happy Astronautics Day, dear friends!" Fedyaev said in the video.
At the moment, Prokopyev, Petelin, and Fedyaev, as well as NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, and Warren Hoburg, and UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi continue working on the ISS
