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

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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.

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