Russia: New Crew Launch to the Space Station

Russian astronaut Alexey Ovchinin announced that preparations are underway in Russia to send a new crew to the International Space Station (ISS). During a press conference, the astronaut stated, "Russia is getting ready to launch the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft, which will carry a crew to the International Space Station, and our mission is scheduled to launch aboard this spacecraft on September 11." He added, "The crew's mission aboard Soyuz MS-26 will last 202 days at the International Space Station, so the crew will return to Earth on April 1, 2025." The Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center noted that Soyuz MS-26 will carry Russian astronauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner, as well as NASA astronaut Donald Pettit. It is worth mentioning that "Russia launched the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft on March 23, which carried the first Belarusian female astronaut Marina Vasilyevskaya, Russian astronaut Oleg Novitskiy, and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson to the station."