The crew of a new expedition to the International Space Station, headed by Belarusian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, has been officially approved for the flight. The team, which also includes astronauts Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet, is tasked with carrying out over 50 scientific experiments and working with Russian, Japanese and American cargo spacecrafts. This will be Oleg Novitsky"s second space mission. This time, the expedition will last for 180 days.Yesterday the cosmonaut was addressed by the Belarusian President.The launch of a Soyuz carrier rocket is scheduled to take place tonight around midnight.
