Baikonur spaceport saw traditional flag raising ceremony taking place at pad #17 in front of "Cosmonaut" hotel. Soyuz MS main and back-up crew members raised the flags of the countries participating in the mission.

Proton boosters will be in use at least up to 2025. After that the quantity of launches will be reduced due to the gradual equipment obsolescence, - Khrunichev Centre Director General Andrei Kalinovsky reported.

Hero of Russian Federation Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who has taken part in 5 space missions celebrates his Birthday today, on June 21.

Soyuz TMA-19M descent capsule with Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra and ESA astronaut Timothy Peake successfully landed in the steppe of Kazakhstan to 147 km of Jezkazgan town on June 18, 2016, 12.15, Moscow time, - MCC spokesman reported.

Proton-M booster with American telecommunication satellite Intelsat DLA-2 was successfully launched from Baikonur spaceport today, on Thursday, June 09, at 10.10, Moscow time.

On June 6, 2016, Roscosmos State Commission meeting discussed Soyuz MS manned spacecraft and Progress MS-03 cargo vehicle prelaunch preparations and Soyuz TMA-19M landing issues.

The launch of Proton-M booster with American EchoStar telecommunication satellite is scheduled for August 2016, - Khrunichev Centre representative reported.

Khrunichev Centre that is Proton booster developer and manufacturer confirmed today that the launch Proton booster with Intelsat -31(Intelsat DLA2) communication satellite will take place as planned.

According to Khrunichev Centre Deputy Director Alexander Medvedev financing the development of new Phoenix booster with carrying capacity from 9 to 15 tons will start in 2018.

Second stage of ExoMars project implementation was shifted from 2018 to July 2020, - Roscosmos press office reports. According to Roscosmos the second ExoMars mission that was to deliver to Mars Russian landing platform and European Mars rover was initially scheduled for 2018.