The Marathon satellite will carry messages from 70 children undergoing cancer treatment into space, a project announced by Roscosmos via Telegram.
According to the plan, drawings and personal hopes that capture the children’s most cherished wishes will be engraved on the satellite’s exterior, turning the craft into a floating gallery of childhood dreams.
The Unity Foundation team, alongside cosmonaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, visited oncology wards across 11 Russian cities within a year as part of the cosmic art therapy initiative.
The ministry stated that this winter the Marathon will lift the dreams of 70 youngsters to an altitude of 750 kilometers, giving them a tangible connection to space during their treatment journey.
Participating locations include Nizhny Novgorod, Tula, Nizhnevartovsk, Chekhov, St. Petersburg, Syktyvkar, Kazan, Yaroslavl, Voronezh, and Lipetsk, with children receiving care throughout these centers.
Recently Yuri Borisov, head of Roscosmos, indicated that the new interplanetary missions Luna-26 and Luna-27 could be launched ahead of schedule. He stressed the ministry’s resolve to press forward with the lunar program.
Meanwhile, India also marked progress with its own lunar effort, described as a significant milestone in the ongoing era of lunar exploration.