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Russia’s chief television tower to broadcast launch of manned spacecraft to ISS

The launch of the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft from the Baikonur spaceport along the Earth-ISS route that will take place at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time on October 14, 2020

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. The Ostankino TV Tower will broadcast live the launch of a Soyuz MS-17 manned spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 14, the press office of the Russian TV and Radio Broadcasting Network told TASS on Tuesday.

"The Ostankino TV Tower in cooperation with Roscosmos will cover the launch of the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft from the Baikonur spaceport along the Earth-ISS route that will take place at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time on October 14, 2020. The launch will be broadcast for the first time from Europe’s tallest observation site. A TV link-up will connect the legendary Ostankino Tower, the Baikonur spaceport and the International Space Station," the press office said.

A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft is set to blast off from Site No. 31 (Vostok launch pad) of the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time on October 14 to deliver Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins to the orbital outpost.

The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the orbital outpost’s Rassvet module at 11:52 a.m. Moscow time on the same day. Therefore, the flight will for the first time proceed using the two-orbit scheme.

During the new long-term expedition, Russian cosmonauts Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov will carry out 55 scientific researches and experiments, including four new probes. Three scientific experiments will be carried out without the crew’s participation. The cosmonauts are also set to make two spacewalks. One of them will run in November 2020 and the other in February 2021.

Both spacewalks will be needed for undocking and dumping the Pirs module next year. This is required for vacating the place for Russia’s new Nauka (Science) module that will be launched in April 2021.

Currently, Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy are working aboard the orbital outpost.

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