October 24 is considered to be the black day in the history of Russian space exploration. On this date within three years period Russian cosmonautics faced two terrible accidents with heavy losses. Since then no launches are planned for this date and more over no serious maintenance operations are accomplished. October 24 is also considered to be as fallen rocket specialists memorial day.

On September 17, 1857, in the village of Izhevsk Ryazan region was born an outstanding Russian scientist, researcher and inventor Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. One of the greatest technical and scientific achievements is the creation of technologies to conquer the space. His ideas of the "space train," the theory of jet propulsion and rocket dynamics, a description of the fundamental designs of rocket engines, mathematical justifications and calculations formed the basis of knowledge and technology, that allowed humanity to enter the Earth's orbit.

September 2, 2018 marks the 110th birthday of academician Valentin Glushko, a Soviet engineer, scientist, one of the pioneers of rocket and space technology, the founder of the Soviet liquid-propellant rocket engine. As the general designer of “NPO Energia” and chairman of the Board of Chief designers, in 1974-1989, Valentin Glushko carried out a general management of the works of numerous enterprises and organizations on key projects of Soviet manned space flights.

On July 25, 1984 Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman of the Earth, who made an exit into the open space. Svetlana Savitskaya also became the first woman to make two space flights. This spacewalk of Svetlana Savitskaya has become a historic one for cosmonautics, continuing a whole series of human victories over outer space.

On June 17, 2018 at 00:46 (Moscow time) from the State Test Cosmodrome “Plesetsk” military crew of the Russian Space Forces launched a space rocket , that include a “Soyuz-2.1b” launch vehicle, the “Fregat” booster block and “Glonass-M” Russian navigation spacecraft. The launch was conducted under the general supervision of the commander of the Space Forces, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Air and Space Forces, Colonel- General Alexander Golovko. The launch of the launch vehicle and the launch of the spacecraft into the calculated orbit were held in the regular mode.

In June 2018, it will be the 55 years anniversary of the flight of the world's first female cosmonaut. It was performed on June 16, 1963, and this achievement belongs to Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, Hero of the Soviet Union, candidate of technical sciences, professor of the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, Major-General of Aviation.

On June 3, 2018, the members of the crew of the "Soyuz MS-07" spacecraft and the expeditions ISS-54/55 returned safely to Earth. The descent vehicle with the Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, NASA astronaut Scott Tingle and JAXA astronaut Norishige Kanai landed in the Kazakhstan at 15:39:42 Moscow time.

Today, on May 31, as part of the preparation of the "Soyuz MS-09" spacecraft for launch under the International Space Station program, the members of the main and backup crews conducted a so-called "second fitting" - a control inspection of the ship in the starting configuration.

On Wednesday, May 30, the cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexey Leonov celebrates his birthday.

On May 29, 2018, as part of the prelaunch training program, the crews of “Soyuz MS-09” spacecraft conducted open training sessions attended by representatives of the media. Cosmonauts and astronauts of the main and backup crews Sergei Prokopiev, Oleg Kononenko, Alexander Gerst, Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Anne Macclein and David Saint-Jacques held training sessions at the multi-purpose stand for manual approach of the” Soyuz MS” spacecraft, training on the on-board documentation of the spacecraft , got training of the factors of space flight on special simulators and sports training.