Specialists are preparing the Soyuz TMA-20 rocket at the assembly line at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome and which is set to blast off to the International Space Station tomorrow.

Soyuz TMA-20 will blast off with US astronaut Cady Coleman, Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratiev. Photo: Dmitry Kostyukov.

Next year Russian research spacecraft will reappear in space after a year’s absence.

The Interplanetary station Phobos-Grunt will be launched to explore space sectors around the planet Mars.

This will be Russia’s first attempt to launch a research spacecraft to another planet since 1996.

The probe will investigate the Martian atmosphere, including a study to determine the presence of methane in the atmosphere of the red planet.

The main objective of the project will be returning to Earth with samples from the surface of Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons.

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