MOSCOW, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - A biological capsule with geckos, fruit flies and silkworm eggs has returned to Earth, landing on Monday in the Orenburg Region, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced on Twitter.
“Foton-M [the biological capsule] and its joyful crew are back on Earth,” Rogozin said in a tweet.
“In a short time the little space travelers will be removed from the capsule and then the scientists will be able to see how they dealt with the burden of the space flight,” a representative from Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said.
The biological mission of Foton-M included eight experiments that involved monitoring the reproductive activity of geckos in space. The space flight was also aimed at studying the influence of weightlessness on plants and insects and on growing semiconductor crystals.
The biosatellite experienced problems earlier in July, when communication with Foton-M was lost for more than a week but successfully restored. The design and onboard control systems of Foton-M enable its self-sufficient operation.
The satellite was launched on July 19 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
