Russia’s Soyuz-2.1 rocket has blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome as part of a test flight to check compatibility of the upgraded booster and spacecraft – which this time carries only a humanoid robot to the ISS.

“The flight will be carried out in unmanned mode. It will be a test flight for the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket, which was previously used for delivering space freighters and various satellites to orbit,” Russia’s Roscosmos space corporation said.

We have liftoff of the unpiloted Soyuz MS-14 test flight to pave the way for future crew launches to the International Space Station. #AskNASA | https://t.co/cBNqC61h27 pic.twitter.com/BXKdzNBt4O

— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 22, 2019

>Related articles

“We are really very close to a peace agreement for Ukraine,” says Trump’s special envoy

Peskov: if Kiev refuses our conditions for peace, we will continue to fight Ukraine

We are making progress in talks with the U.S. on peace in Ukraine, says the Kremlin

The Skybot F-850 robot, known simply as Fedor, has taken the captain’s seat on Soyuz 2.1’s test flight to the International Space Station, where the spacecraft is expected to dock on Saturday.

Read more HERE