Head of the Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin (TsPK, part of Roskosmos) Maxim Kharlamov told reporters that the candidate for the space flight from Belarus and his backup will be announced after the New Year. It has been reported TASS.
According to Kharlamov, the applicants are currently undergoing medical examination. According to their results, it will become clear who will be eligible to fly.
“The medical commission will issue relevant recommendations on 28 December. After that, the Belarusian side will be determined by the priority competitors. “We will probably find two candidates after New Year’s,” he said.
Vladimir Gusakov, previously Chairman of the Presidium of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences, in an interview with socialbites.ca, said that the Belarusian side hopes for long-term cooperation with Roscosmos in manned cosmonautics. According to Gusakov, the participation of the republic in manned flights can logically continue – cooperation with the state agency Roscosmos in this area may become permanent and even expand.