MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The descent module of the Bion-M No. 2 biological satellite, transporting living organisms, has landed in Russia’s Orenburg Region, Roscosmos reported.

"The descent module of the Bion-M No. 2 biological satellite has landed. The spacecraft was launched from Baikonur (a spaceport in Kazakhstan operated by Russia — TASS) on August 20, and 30 days later it returned safely to Earth with living organisms on board. After landing, they will be sent to Moscow for detailed study," the statement said.

Project Bion-M No. 2 is designed to study how living organisms tolerate flight in high-latitude orbit, where radiation levels are about one-third higher than in the International Space Station’s orbit. The 6.4-ton spacecraft carried 75 male mice, approximately 1,500 common fruit flies, cell cultures, plants, and samples of cereals, legumes, and industrial crops. In addition, fungi, lichens, cell materials, and seeds of plants grown from seeds previously flown on Bion-M No. 1 (2013) and Foton-M No. 4 (2014) were also launched into space.

Bion is a series of Russian spacecraft dedicated to biological research, with scientists particularly interested in the effects of radiation and microgravity on living organisms. The first spacecraft of this type, Kosmos 605, was launched in 1973. In 2013, the first satellite of the Bion-M series was sent into orbit, carrying mice, Mongolian gerbils, geckos, snails, plants, and colonies of various microorganisms.