A state commission has approved October 19 as a new date for the postponed launch of the Soyuz MS-02 manned spacecraft to the International Space Station, Russia's Roscosmos state space corporation said Thursday.
The commission has established that a pinched cable in the landing system was the cause of the postponement of the launch originally planned for September 23, and approved a new date after thoroughly retesting the spaceship's readiness for launch, Roscosmos said in a statement.
Other remaining launches in 2016 include the Soyuz MS-03 manned spacecraft launch on November 16 and the Progress MS-04 space freighter launch on December 1.
Manned Launch of Soyuz MS-02 Spacecraft May Be Postponed to November 1
Russia has moved the preliminary date of the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft's manned launch from September 23 to November 1, Alexander Koptev, a NASA representative with the Russian Mission Control Centre, said
"The Russian side has informed the NASA central office of the preliminary plans to launch the manned Soyuz MS-02 on November 1," Koptev told RIA Novosti.
Koptev added that the final decision on the launch date is set to be made by Russia's space agency Roscosmos. The Soyuz MS spacecraft is due to take two Russian cosmonauts and one US astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) for the Expedition 49 mission. The Soyuz MS series is the latest upgrade of the long-serving Soyuz spacecraft with improved communication and navigation systems.
