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Putin, Lukashenko to participate in Cosmonautics Day events

The two leaders will sum up the results of the latest mission to the International Space Station, where the Union State crew worked together for the first time

MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. The presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, will continue their joint program in Moscow by participating in events marking Cosmonautics Day.

The two leaders will sum up the results of the latest mission to the International Space Station (ISS), where the Union State crew worked together for the first time. Putin earlier described it as a significant event.

Marina Vasilevskaya, the first woman in space in the history of modern Belarus, along with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and NASA female astronaut Laurel O'Hara returned to Earth from the ISS on April 6 aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. O'Hara arrived at the station in September 2023 on a Soyuz MS-24, while Novitsky and Vasilevskaya arrived on March 25 of this year aboard a Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft as part of a two-week visiting expedition.

Future projects

The presidents of Russia and Belarus will discuss future cooperation in space. Lukashenko suggested sending another Belarusian cosmonaut aboard a Russian spacecraft, namely Anastasia Leonova, who was Vasilevskaya’s back-up.

Moreover, Minsk is willing to put into orbit a new satellite jointly with Moscow. Prior to the meeting, Lukashenko confirmed his country’s determination to participate in Russia’s space program. Putin, in turn, replied that the two nations "will work together."

The two leaders are expected to meet with cosmonauts on their professional holiday. Earlier, Russia’s state-run space corporation Roscosmos expressed hope that Putin and Lukashenko will attend an event on April 12, in which Vasilevskaya will be taking part.

Tags

Vladimir Putin Belarus Alexander Lukashenko

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