On March 3, 2016, GCTC officially saw off the members of prime and back-up ISS-47/48 mission crews to Baikonur.

At 07:29, Moscow time, March 02, 2016, Soyuz TMA-18M descent capsule successfully landed in Kazakh steppe to 147 km of Jezkazgan town.

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.

ISS-47/48 mission main (Alexei Ovchinin, Roscosmos, Oleg Skripochka, Roscosmos, Jeoffrey Williams, NASA) and back-up (Sergey Ryzhikov, Roscosmos, Andrei Borisenko, Roscosmos, Robert Kimbrough, NASA) crews go on passing preflight exams in GCTC.

ISS-47/48 crew going to space in March started passing preflight training in GCTC. The prime crew comprises Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronaut Geffrey Williams, the back-up crew – Roscosmos osmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko and NASA astronaut Robert Kimbrough.

One more ISS crew successfully completed training on survival in marshy and forested area. For three days Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky, NASA astronaut Randolph Bresnik and JAXA astronaut Norishige Kanai have been accomplishing the tasks set under severe weather conditions.

In April 2016 we celebrate the Birthday of manned Cosmonautics. Vegitel Tour Company, the lead provider of aerospace tourism services in Russia, suggests you celebrating this great anniversary on a space scale! Try zero-gravity onboard Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre special flying laboratory Ilyushin-76MDK to feel like a real cosmonaut.

NASA astronaut Scott Tingle and JAXA astronaut Norishige Kanai started their preflight trainings in Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Moscow region.

Yesterday, on December 2, 2015, Baikonur say traditional flag-raising ceremony taking place at #17 launchpad in front of “Cosmonaut” hotel.

ISS-46/47 mission prime and back-up crews started passing final prelaunch trainings at Baikonur spaceport. The prime crew includes Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra and ESA astronaut Timothy Peake, the back-up crew comprises Roscosmos cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins.