Proton-M booster with ExoMars-2016 station designated to search for life forms on Mars was launched from Baikonur spaceport today on March 14, 2016.

On Friday GCTC saw press-conference of ISS-47/48 mission crews. Before the presss conference Interdepartmental Commission meeting Roscosmos, GCTC, RSC Energia and Federal Bio-Medical Agency representatives were taking part in approved the crews for further preflight preparations at Baikonur. The main crew of Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft comproses Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams, the back-up crew – Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko and NASA astronaut Robert Kimbrough.

Another ISS orbit adjustment is scheduled for March 5, 2016, - Mission Control Centre representative reported.

After station reboost maneuver medium altitude of the ISS increased by 1,8 km and amounted to 404,4 km, - spokesman for MCC reported.

Proton-M booster to launch space devices in the framework of Russian-European ExoMars-2016 research mission was delivered to Baikonur spaceport.

Soyuz-2.1b medium booster with Glonass-M navigational satellite was successfully launched from Plesetsk spaceport in Arkhangelsk region, - Ministry of Defence press office reported.

Russian Satellite Communications Company plans to launch satellites by Proton boosters only up to 2020, - Company’s Director General Yuri Prokhorov said.

On Sunday Proton-M booster and Briz-M upper stage successfully orbited Eutelsat 9B satellite. The launch was initially scheduled for for January 28, but was shifted due to weather conditions and took place on January 30, at 01.20, Moscow time.

On January 27, 2016, according to the ISS flight schedule the station’s orbit was adjusted to provide conditions for future 4-orbit scheme docking with Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft to be launched in March 2016.

Today, on Tuesday, Proton-M booster with Eutelsat-9B European telecommunication satellite was installed on the launchpad of Baikonur spaceport as planned, - Khrunichev Centre representative reports.