Russia wants to walk on the Moon and the process is launched with the announcement of the launch of the recruitment session for cosmonauts who will tread the ground of our natural satellite from 2031.
On Tuesday March 14, the Russian space agency Roscosmos officially kicked off its recruitment campaign for cosmonauts who will travel to the Moon aboard the new spacecraft Federatsia. The agency will thus recruit six to eight professionals who will be the first pilots of the new Russian ship Federatsia »they “will work on the International Space Station (ISS) and be the first Russians to go to the Moon “, she wrote in a press release.
The Federatsia vessel is capable of carrying four people and is intended to replace the current Soyuz vessels used to transport men and cargo to the International Space Station. It will therefore also be able to carry out manned flights to the Moon and its first test flight is scheduled for the year 2021.
Aspiring cosmonauts have four months to submit their application to Roscosmos, whose executive director of manned flights, Sergei Krikalev, specifies « that there will be no discrimination based on skin color or sex « . The profiles sought are precise: candidates must not be over 35 years old, measure between 1.50 and 1.90 meters and weigh no more than 90 kg. Quite logically, proficiency in the English language, advanced computer skills and experience in the airline or aerospace industry are essential.
Russia’s ambition is to set up a scientific base on the Moon and the agency plans to carry out its first lunar flights in 2031. However, it will take patience for future candidates, the « waiting list ». » being already sufficiently provided. Indeed, among the 30 Russian cosmonauts already selected by Roscosmos and still active, 14 have still not been in space, some having been recruited more than 10 years ago, in 2006.