At the Baikonur cosmodrome, preflight preparation of the Soyuz MS-18 manned transport vehicle continues. Today, February 5, 2021, in accordance with the pre-flight schedule, a cycle of autonomous tests of the ship took place in the anechoic chamber of the assembly and test building of site No. 254.
During the day, the specialists of the Rocket and Space Corporation “Energia” named after S.P. Korolev and the Yuzhny Space Center (a branch of the Center for Operation of Ground Space Infrastructure Facilities, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) performed operations to check the functioning of the Kurs-NA radio equipment, which ensures the rendezvous and docking of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft with International Space Station.
The anechoic chamber is a specialized room covered with radio-absorbing material in order to simulate the conditions of outer space for ground testing of the performance of the on-board radio systems of the Progress MS and Soyuz MS transport vehicles. After the completion of the tests, the ship was installed in the dynamic stand of the assembly and test building to continue prelaunch preparation.
The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the Soyuz MS-18 manned spacecraft is scheduled for April 2021 from the Baikonur cosmodrome. The spacecraft is to deliver the crew of the next 65th Expedition to the ISS.