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Russia’s Shkaplerov proud of being part of movie crew

The first-ever space movie is planned to be filmed aboard the International Space Station in October 2021

Yulia Peresild and Anton Shkaplerov Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

Yulia Peresild and Anton Shkaplerov

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

BAIKONUR, October 4. /TASS/. Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov is proud of becoming a member of the crew to shoot the first-ever space movie dubbed Vyzov (Challenge).

"I am proud of being entrusted with such a mission - to fly without professionals, cosmonauts, astronauts," Shkaplerov said at a conference in TASS staged in an online format. "There is faith that I will cope with that," he said.

The space vehicle was upgraded to be controlled without a professional engineer.

The first-ever space movie is planned to be filmed aboard the International Space Station in October 2021. The space drama tentatively titled Vyzov (Challenge) is a joint project by Roscosmos, Channel One TV and the film studio Yellow, Black and White.

The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle is set to blast off on October 5 from the Baikonur launch site. The Soyuz MS-19 crew is comprised of cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, actress Yulia Peresild and movie director Klim Shipenko. It will enter orbit about 9 minutes after launch and will travel to the International Space Station in about 3 hours and 17 minutes.

The movie will be about a female doctor with no experience of space, forced to take the journey in order to save a cosmonaut’s life.

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