The crew of the Soyuz MS-16 spaceflight to the International Space Station, as well as their backups who have arrived at the Baikonur spaceport, are under strict surveillance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's Gagarin Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Center told Sputnik on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2020) The crew of the Soyuz MS-16 spaceflight to the International Space Station, as well as their backups who have arrived at the Baikonur spaceport, are under strict surveillance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's Gagarin Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Center told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"They are under strict observation in light of the coronavirus," the center said.
The center specified that the crew will be present remotely at a meeting of the state commission, during which it will be cleared for launching.
Several other signature events have been canceled, including talking with relatives after putting on spacesuits, as well as a report by the state commission before sending the crew to a launching site. A pre-launch press conference will take place online as well. The traditions that are not public will be upheld.
The center stressed that despite the pandemic, Russian specialists have created the conditions necessary for the precise implementation of the pre-launch preparations for the mission.
The Soyuz MS-16 spaceflight, which will use the Soyuz-2.1a rocket, is scheduled for April 9. The main crew includes Russia's Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, and NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy, with Sergei Ryzhikov, Andrei Babkin and Stephen Bowen as the backup crew.
