Soyuz launcher transferred to launch pad
Early this morning, the Soyuz launcher that will bring ESA astronaut Frank De Winne to the International Space Station for his six-month OasISS mission was transferred to the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazahkstan. The launch is scheduled for 12:34 CEST on 27 May.
The Soyuz launcher arrived at launch pad 1 following a two-hour journey from the integration building. The launcher was erected on the launch pad later in the day after a delay caused by high winds at the launch site.
Also today, De Winne and his two Soyuz TMA-15 crewmates, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, participated in the traditional tree-planting ceremony at the Cosmonauts Hotel in Baikonur.
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