Nikolai Chub and Anna Kikina previously received American visas
MOSCOW, January 26. /tass/. Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin said that he did not have time to "buy ink" to write a letter about the non-issuance of an American visa to Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Chub, there is no more problem.
"I didn't even have time to buy ink to compose a letter to the American sultan. There are visas, there are no problems. We are working with NASA further," Rogozin wrote in his Telegram channel.
On January 22, Roscosmos reported that the safety of Russian cosmonaut Chub's stay on the International Space Station (ISS) during the planned flight in 2023 was called into question due to the US refusal to issue him a visa. According to the state corporation, an American visa is needed for an astronaut for the first five-week session to familiarize himself with the American segment of the station.
On Monday, the press service of Roscosmos reported that Chub was issued a US visa. Rogozin said that the only woman in the cosmonaut squad, Anna Kikina, who will be the first participant in cross-flights from the Russian Federation, also received an American visa.
Usually, before the flight, astronauts from other countries undergo training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, mastering the Russian segment of the ISS, and Russian cosmonauts - at the Space Center named after Yuri Gagarin. Lyndon Johnson in Houston, where they get acquainted with the American segment. The training takes place regardless of which ship the crew members are flying on.
Chub is part of the backup crew of the ISS-68 expedition, which is scheduled to fly on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft in September this year. He is also part of the main crew of the ISS-69 expedition, which is scheduled to fly on Soyuz MS-23 in the spring of next year.
