Pre-launch processing of the Soyuz MS-20 crewed spacecraft for the launch under the Contract with the Space Adventures company to the International Space Station continues at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Today, the specialists from RSC Energia and core enterprises of Roscosmos mated Soyuz MS-20 to the adapter section of the launch vehicle upper stage block in the integration and test facility of Site 254. The adapter section makes part of the ascent unit and ensures mechanical coupling of the spacecraft with the payload fairing, as well as integration of Soyuz MS-20 command interface into the Soyuz-2.1a onboard control system.
The Soyuz MS-20 prime crew consists of commander Alexander Misurkin (Roscosmos) and spaceflight participants President of the Start Today Corporation Yusaku Maezawa and his personal assistant Yozo Hirano. Their backups are Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov and Shun Ogiso. The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle carrying Soyuz-MS-20 is scheduled to launch on December 8, 2021.