In a successful mission, a Russian Soyuz crew ferry ship recently docked with the International Space Station, bringing three new crew members on board. The crew included Oleg Novitskiy, Marina Vasilevskaya, and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson. The trio was warmly welcomed by the station’s current occupants, with Vasilevskaya, the Belarus guest flier, receiving praise for representing Belarus in space.
NASA congratulated Novitskiy and Dyson for safely reaching the station, as the crew swap out was necessary to ensure station crew members do not exceed staying longer than six months. The presence of multiple spacecraft providers, including Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, aims to guarantee a continuous U.S. presence on the International Space Station.
The upcoming mission in early May will see the Starliner spacecraft make its first piloted flight to the space station. This flight will serve to test the spacecraft’s automated and manual control systems, providing NASA with an additional option for transporting astronauts to and from the station. With these advancements in space travel technology, the future of space exploration looks promising. Stay tuned for more updates on Press Stories.