MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - The Soyuz-FG orbital carrier rocket and Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft have been delivered and installed at the Gagarin's Start launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a launch is planned for September 26, a Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) representative told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
For the first time after a 17-year period a female cosmonaut, Yelena Serova, will be launched into space orbit, ending spaceflight's male "hegemony." Serova will be accompanied by cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyayev of Roscosmos and NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore in the Soyuz capsule.
Space industry experts observed the delivery of the rocket from the assembly and test facility to the launch pad.
Soyuz TMA-14M's flight to the International Space Station will be the 123rd since 1967. The Soyuz is expected to remain on board the station as an emergency escape vehicle.
