This date will go down in history: for the first time, a citizen of sovereign Belarus is making a space flight
Maryna Vasileuskaya, along with the crew commander, Belarusian-born Oleg Novitsky, and American Tracy C. Dyson, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft. Today, docking with the International Space Station took place. The ISS crew has been replenished with new participants. Now, for the first time, the flag of the Republic of Belarus has appeared on the screen at the Roscosmos Mission Control Center. for the first time, the flag of the Republic of Belarus has appeared on the screen at the Roscosmos Mission Control Center.
It seems like just recently the President announced that a Belarusian woman would conquer space. At the time, this task seemed difficult to accomplish. The first cosmonaut from the country, and moreover, a woman. Will she cope? The entire country has been following the successes of ordinary Belarusian girls – Maryna Vasileuskaya and her backup, Anastasia Lenkova – since 2022. First, how they made it into the top six out of almost three thousand applicants. Later, like watching the first steps of a child, they worried about their extremely difficult training in Zvezdny. Centrifuge, weightlessness, survival in the forest and in water. They say a Russian woman will enter a burning hut and stop a horse at a gallop. A Belarusian woman goes further. Straight to the stars.
— 20 seconds before launch, the automated system terminated the launch preparation sequence due to receiving information about a voltage drop in the chemical power source. In this situation, the launch is returned to its initial state, which is what happened. The crew was evacuated within an hour and taken to a hotel; their spacesuits were removed beforehand, and the cosmonauts were in normal condition.
No matter how much this topic was hyped on the internet, such situations do happen. For example, even Elon Musk's famous Crew Dragon didn't launch immediately. And the postponement happened more than once. The launch of the "Soyuz-2.1a" carrier rocket with the "Soyuz MS-25" manned transport spacecraft occurred two days later. And it was quite successful, as hundreds of thousands of broadcast viewers and eyewitnesses could attest. The only downside is that if the cosmonauts had reached the ISS in three hours on the 21st, their journey now took over 50 hours! During this time, the spacecraft completed 34 orbits around the Earth. Marina, by the way, was not bothered by this at all:
Not only the cosmonauts themselves believed that everything would be fine, but also their family and friends, and tourists who even flew in from Yemen. The latter, by the way, even changed their tickets after the canceled launch to still see Marina off into space. Of course, the delegation from Belarus looked the most picturesque in the steppe of Baikonur: with national flags and encouraging posters "Marina —"You are space," they shouted louder than anyone: "Hurray, Belarus!" Were they worried that the launch was postponed? Of course, yes. But no one showed it – cosmonauts are strictly forbidden to spoil the fighting spirit!
In the morning, this large company saw off the crew to the cosmodrome. With applause, and as tradition requires – to the song "Grass by Home" by the band "Zemlyane". Later, we saw with our own eyes that the State Commission had accepted the cosmonauts and cleared them for flight. And then – only the launch. Three kilometers from pad 31, thousands of eyes watched the historic moment. The boundless steppe, the command "Launch" sounds – and the roar of the cosmodrome tears the earth apart. A few minutes – and "Soyuz" with Marina reached orbit.
"Attention! Readiness for launch in 5 minutes announced at the launch complex," – sounds from the loudspeakers. The main hall of the Russian segment of the ISS Mission Control Center falls silent. Even the journalist groups stop discussing work matters for a while. Exciting! And what relatives and guests feel, who are also watching the broadcast from the screens of the MCC next to us, – one can only guess...
The clock shows 15:30 – the launch key is given, the launch cyclogram of final operations is activated. A couple of minutes later, we hear the next command – the combustion chambers of the engines of the side and central blocks are purged with nitrogen.
"Bon voyage!", "Good luck", "Let's go!" – thousands of viewers wish the crew in the chat of the "Soyuz MS-25" manned spacecraft launch broadcast. For Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, Belarusian spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya, NASA astronaut TWe are following the flight of the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft in real-time. We receive a live feed from Baikonur synchronously — commands: "Launch," "Ignition," "Pre-start," "Intermediate," "Start"!
"We have reached the main thrust stage! The first and second stage engines are operating normally, the rocket's structural parameters are within normal limits," we hear from the loudspeakers. The smile on the face of Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya is reassuring — the entire Mission Control Center is in anticipation, everyone is closely watching how the spacecraft is speeding upwards with lightning speed! The pressure in the engine combustion chambers is normal, the flight is normal! The rocket's control system parameters are normal… 170 seconds have passed since launch — the product stabilization is stable. 410 seconds — the flight is normal! Everyone with cameras in hand is waiting for that very crucial moment… 530 seconds — the third stage engine shutdown is confirmed, the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft separation is confirmed.
The cosmonaut's brother, Alexander, smiles as he recalls that Marina used to copy his essays at school:
— Although our sister has always been talented in our family — she drew, sang, danced, and cooks well. That's why she will handle space too. I admit, as a child, I also dreamed of becoming a cosmonaut — all the boys dreamed of it then. But life turned out differently: children, family, work.
Alexander's son, Danila, Marina's beloved nephew, has inherited his father's dream — he is also aimingto an astronaut. Although mother Olga notes that her son previously planned to be a scientist. Well, space is the best place for experiments!
— We always bought the child many different experiment kits — for physics, for chemistry, we have a whole bunch of them. And he was firm in his decision to dedicate himself to science. But after Marina, he cast doubt on his dream — he wants to go to the stars like his aunt, — Olga explains.
— Our Daniil is 12 years old, but there is also Daria Alexandrovna, — Marina's father, Vitaly Fedorovich, is quick to boast about his grandchildren. — She is just over a year old, but she is already growing up so smart! We flew with her to Moscow, and the flight attendant was just explaining how to buckle up, and she did it all herself!
Well, a worthy successor is growing up.
Docking — successful!
On March 25 at 18:02 Moscow time, the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft successfully docked with the Prichal nodal module of the Russian segment of the ISS. The journey to the station took 50 hours and 26 minutes. All stages of the docking process — autonomous approach of Soyuz MS-25 to the ISS, activation of the Kurs system, fly-around of the ISS, hovering, approaching, and contact — proceeded as planned, confirmed Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Programs Sergey Krikalev:
— The docking was successful in automatic mode. The crew monitored the process, but the automatic system docked the spacecraft to the station very smoothly and according to the program.
The transfer to the International Space Station itself is also not a quick process, it usually takes about two hours. Only after checking the tightness of the docking between the spacecraft and the ISS, equalizing air pressure, and other standard procedures, the crew opens the transition hatches and moves to the ISS. In the "space house," Oleg Novitsky, Marina Vasilevskaya, and Tracy Dyson were warmly welcomed by the entire station crew; they greeted and had a friendly chat with the new arrivals. After some time, the long-awaited live picture with the cosmonauts appeared on the screen of the Main Mission Control Hall of the Russian segment of the ISS. They smiled and waved to everyone present in the Mission Control Center from the broadcast. For the first time in two days, relatives not only saw but also heard the voices of their loved ones. Among them, we noticed Marina Vasilevskaya's backup, Anastasia Lenkova.
/>— What will you ask Marina during the crew's communication session? — I inquire.
— I'll find out how Earth is doing! — Anastasia replies.
The girl imagines what Marina might be feeling now and how she will adapt to the station:
— Although there were trainings, you still don't fully know how to behave in zero gravity right away. I am simultaneously very concerned, worried, and happy for Marina, because we worked together for eight months until the very end, we trained.
The cosmonauts face a common task: the implementation of the space flight program, its scientific experiments, and work on board the station. Oleg Novitsky, Marina Vasilevskaya, as well as NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, who has been on the station since September 15 last year, will return from their "space mission" on April 6 on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. We will eagerly await news and a successful landing!
It seems like just recently the President announced that a Belarusian woman would conquer space. At the time, this task seemed difficult to accomplish. The first cosmonaut from the country, and moreover, a woman. Will she cope? The entire country has been following the successes of ordinary Belarusian girls – Maryna Vasileuskaya and her backup, Anastasia Lenkova – since 2022. First, how they made it into the top six out of almost three thousand applicants. Later, like watching the first steps of a child, they worried about their extremely difficult training in Zvezdny. Centrifuge, weightlessness, survival in the forest and in water. They say a Russian woman will enter a burning hut and stop a horse at a gallop. A Belarusian woman goes further. Straight to the stars.
On the Launch Pad
The initial launch date for the "Soyuz" with the visiting expedition, which includes our Marina Vasilevskaya, was set for March 21st. However, it was decided to launch on a reserve day. Before the launch, the automated system detected an error. The head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, noted at the time: "It's unpleasant, but not critical:— 20 seconds before launch, the automated system terminated the launch preparation sequence due to receiving information about a voltage drop in the chemical power source. In this situation, the launch is returned to its initial state, which is what happened. The crew was evacuated within an hour and taken to a hotel; their spacesuits were removed beforehand, and the cosmonauts were in normal condition.
No matter how much this topic was hyped on the internet, such situations do happen. For example, even Elon Musk's famous Crew Dragon didn't launch immediately. And the postponement happened more than once. The launch of the "Soyuz-2.1a" carrier rocket with the "Soyuz MS-25" manned transport spacecraft occurred two days later. And it was quite successful, as hundreds of thousands of broadcast viewers and eyewitnesses could attest. The only downside is that if the cosmonauts had reached the ISS in three hours on the 21st, their journey now took over 50 hours! During this time, the spacecraft completed 34 orbits around the Earth. Marina, by the way, was not bothered by this at all:
— You know, everything happens for the best. I'm definitely convinced of that now. And for me, it will be a great experience.Of course, arriving quickly is good on the one hand, but on the other hand, we will have much more time to adapt to weightlessness, admire our beautiful Earth, and resolve some everyday issues that we wouldn't have had time for on a fast two-orbit scheme. I feel like everything will be fine.
Not only the cosmonauts themselves believed that everything would be fine, but also their family and friends, and tourists who even flew in from Yemen. The latter, by the way, even changed their tickets after the canceled launch to still see Marina off into space. Of course, the delegation from Belarus looked the most picturesque in the steppe of Baikonur: with national flags and encouraging posters "Marina —"You are space," they shouted louder than anyone: "Hurray, Belarus!" Were they worried that the launch was postponed? Of course, yes. But no one showed it – cosmonauts are strictly forbidden to spoil the fighting spirit!
In the morning, this large company saw off the crew to the cosmodrome. With applause, and as tradition requires – to the song "Grass by Home" by the band "Zemlyane". Later, we saw with our own eyes that the State Commission had accepted the cosmonauts and cleared them for flight. And then – only the launch. Three kilometers from pad 31, thousands of eyes watched the historic moment. The boundless steppe, the command "Launch" sounds – and the roar of the cosmodrome tears the earth apart. A few minutes – and "Soyuz" with Marina reached orbit.
On the line with Korolev
A group of "SB" correspondents also followed the developments from the Mission Control Center. The research division of JSC "TsNIIMash" in Korolev, which is part of Roscosmos, plays a key role in managing the Russian segment of the ISS. Impressions and emotions are also off the charts here – no less than 15 press groups from several countries, as well as relatives and guests, came to remotely see off the international crew."Attention! Readiness for launch in 5 minutes announced at the launch complex," – sounds from the loudspeakers. The main hall of the Russian segment of the ISS Mission Control Center falls silent. Even the journalist groups stop discussing work matters for a while. Exciting! And what relatives and guests feel, who are also watching the broadcast from the screens of the MCC next to us, – one can only guess...
The clock shows 15:30 – the launch key is given, the launch cyclogram of final operations is activated. A couple of minutes later, we hear the next command – the combustion chambers of the engines of the side and central blocks are purged with nitrogen.
"Bon voyage!", "Good luck", "Let's go!" – thousands of viewers wish the crew in the chat of the "Soyuz MS-25" manned spacecraft launch broadcast. For Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, Belarusian spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya, NASA astronaut TWe are following the flight of the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft in real-time. We receive a live feed from Baikonur synchronously — commands: "Launch," "Ignition," "Pre-start," "Intermediate," "Start"!
"We have reached the main thrust stage! The first and second stage engines are operating normally, the rocket's structural parameters are within normal limits," we hear from the loudspeakers. The smile on the face of Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya is reassuring — the entire Mission Control Center is in anticipation, everyone is closely watching how the spacecraft is speeding upwards with lightning speed! The pressure in the engine combustion chambers is normal, the flight is normal! The rocket's control system parameters are normal… 170 seconds have passed since launch — the product stabilization is stable. 410 seconds — the flight is normal! Everyone with cameras in hand is waiting for that very crucial moment… 530 seconds — the third stage engine shutdown is confirmed, the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft separation is confirmed.
A second of anticipation — and we hear the coveted words: "The spacecraft has been placed into Earth orbit." Hooray! Applause fills the Main Hall of the Mission Control Center of the Russian segment of the ISS!Everyone stands up from their seats, smiles and tears of joy are visible on the faces of those witnessing this historic moment.
Space is within the reach of a Belarusian woman
Marina Vasilevskaya is a pleasant young woman from a simple working family — just like Gagarin. And she also possesses incredible strength of character and aspiration. Her parents note: this trait comes from her grandfather.— She always moved forward. She always strived to be the first, and now she has become the first cosmonaut of the independent Republic of Belarus,— noted her mother Irina Viktorovna.
The cosmonaut's brother, Alexander, smiles as he recalls that Marina used to copy his essays at school:
— Although our sister has always been talented in our family — she drew, sang, danced, and cooks well. That's why she will handle space too. I admit, as a child, I also dreamed of becoming a cosmonaut — all the boys dreamed of it then. But life turned out differently: children, family, work.
Alexander's son, Danila, Marina's beloved nephew, has inherited his father's dream — he is also aimingto an astronaut. Although mother Olga notes that her son previously planned to be a scientist. Well, space is the best place for experiments!
— We always bought the child many different experiment kits — for physics, for chemistry, we have a whole bunch of them. And he was firm in his decision to dedicate himself to science. But after Marina, he cast doubt on his dream — he wants to go to the stars like his aunt, — Olga explains.
— Our Daniil is 12 years old, but there is also Daria Alexandrovna, — Marina's father, Vitaly Fedorovich, is quick to boast about his grandchildren. — She is just over a year old, but she is already growing up so smart! We flew with her to Moscow, and the flight attendant was just explaining how to buckle up, and she did it all herself!
Well, a worthy successor is growing up.
Docking — successful!
On March 25 at 18:02 Moscow time, the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft successfully docked with the Prichal nodal module of the Russian segment of the ISS. The journey to the station took 50 hours and 26 minutes. All stages of the docking process — autonomous approach of Soyuz MS-25 to the ISS, activation of the Kurs system, fly-around of the ISS, hovering, approaching, and contact — proceeded as planned, confirmed Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Programs Sergey Krikalev:
— The docking was successful in automatic mode. The crew monitored the process, but the automatic system docked the spacecraft to the station very smoothly and according to the program.
The transfer to the International Space Station itself is also not a quick process, it usually takes about two hours. Only after checking the tightness of the docking between the spacecraft and the ISS, equalizing air pressure, and other standard procedures, the crew opens the transition hatches and moves to the ISS. In the "space house," Oleg Novitsky, Marina Vasilevskaya, and Tracy Dyson were warmly welcomed by the entire station crew; they greeted and had a friendly chat with the new arrivals. After some time, the long-awaited live picture with the cosmonauts appeared on the screen of the Main Mission Control Hall of the Russian segment of the ISS. They smiled and waved to everyone present in the Mission Control Center from the broadcast. For the first time in two days, relatives not only saw but also heard the voices of their loved ones. Among them, we noticed Marina Vasilevskaya's backup, Anastasia Lenkova.
/>— What will you ask Marina during the crew's communication session? — I inquire.
— I'll find out how Earth is doing! — Anastasia replies.
The girl imagines what Marina might be feeling now and how she will adapt to the station:
— Although there were trainings, you still don't fully know how to behave in zero gravity right away. I am simultaneously very concerned, worried, and happy for Marina, because we worked together for eight months until the very end, we trained.
The cosmonauts face a common task: the implementation of the space flight program, its scientific experiments, and work on board the station. Oleg Novitsky, Marina Vasilevskaya, as well as NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, who has been on the station since September 15 last year, will return from their "space mission" on April 6 on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. We will eagerly await news and a successful landing!