This morning the integrated Soyuz-2.1а launch vehicle with the Soyuz MS-18 crewed spacecraft was rolled out of the launch vehicle integration and test facility and erected on the Site No. 31 launchpad of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
According to the L-2 day schedule the launch teams began to perform processing operations on preflight testing of systems and assemblies with the interface check of the onboard and ground equipment of the rocket and space complex.
The launch of Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle carrying Soyuz MS-18 under the program of Expeditions 65 and 66 to the International Space Station is scheduled for April 9, 2021. The prime crew of the spacecraft consists of commander Oleg Novitsky (Roscosmos), flight-engineer 1 Pyotr Dubrov (Roscosmos) and flight-engineer 2 Mark Vande Hei (NASA).
