Military aviation deployed in Kazakhstan and Russia's Siberia ahead of spacecraft launch
13:41, 26 July 2017
ASTANA. KAZINFORM The Russian Defense Ministry's aviation has been deployed at airfields in Kazakhstan and Russia's Siberia to ensure safe launch of the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft due on Friday, the Russian military said on Wednesday, TASS reports.
The aircraft have arrived at airfields in Kazakhstan's Baikonur and Karaganda and Russia's Gorno-Altaisk and Kansk (Siberia).
"A total of 125 servicemen, six Mi-8 helicopters, three An-26 and An-12 planes, as well as ten all-terrain vehicles, including two Blue Bird [ZIL-4906] search and rescue vehicles will take part in ensuring the safe launch of Soyuz MS-05," a spokesman for Russia's Central Military District said.
The launch is scheduled for 18:42 Moscow time on July 28. The Soyuz MS-05 will take crewmembers Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency, Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Randolf Bresnik of NASA to the International Space Station.