During previous 2 weeks cosmonauts and astronauts have been passing exams on manual docking, approaching and descending of Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and practiced manual remote control mode. According to the program for space flight preparations main and back-up crews have to experience standard flight day.

The landing of Soyuz TMA-10M manned spacecraft with Oleg Kotov, Sergey Ryazansky (Roscosmos) and Michael Hopkins (NASA) onboard was shifted from March 12 to March 11. Tha place of lamding was also changed because of great amount of snow in Arkalyk region where descent module was initially planned to land.

Russia successfully started its 2014 space flight program. Progress M-22M cargo vehicle  launched from Baikonur spaceport on February 5, 20.23…

Russian Cosmonauts completed their preflight trainings in NASA Johnson Space Centre on January 23, 2014

According to the Head of Russian ESA office Rene Pischel, Russian Soyuz-ST boosters will be launched 4 times from European Kourou spaceport (South America) in 2014.

Soyuz rockets launched from Vostochny spaceport will be equipped with onboard video control system observing rocket’s behavior in space (particularly stage separation) as well as with new onboard computers and storage battaries.

New Russian light booster Soyuz-2.1V with Volga addon stage and Aist satellite made by students was installed onto the launching pad of Plesetsk spaceport, Russian Aerospace Defense troops press office representative Colonel Dmitry Zenin reported on Wednesday.

On Saturday Russian cargo vehicle Progress M-21M nominally docked with the ISS. However at the final stage of the docking the specialists made a decision to use manual docking successfully performed by ISS cosmonaut Oleg Kotov.

Russia has no space launches planned for January 2014, but three planned for February. All these launches will take place from Baikonur spaceport, - the spokesman for aerospace industry reported on Friday.

“Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata who flew to the ISS on November 7, 2013 onboard Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft will communicate with…