Press releases

19 Mar 2019

Belarusian to take part in four-month SIRIUS-19 mission

Photo courtesyof the Institute for Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow

MOSCOW, 19 March (BelTA) – Belarus' citizen Daniil Dubar has become a member of a four-month practice mission SIRIUS-19 which will simulate a flight to the Moon. The practice mission started in the NEK ground-based analog facility of the Institute for Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow on 19 March, BelTA has learned from the institute.

Daniil Dubar was included in the backup crew. In 2009, he graduated from the microbiology chair of the biology department of the Belarusian State University. In 2010, he obtained a Master’s degree in biology. In 2017, he completed a postgraduate course at the Central Botanical Garden of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences (NAS) majoring in plant physiology and biochemistry. In 2007-2010, Daniil Dubar worked in the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the Belarusian NAS. Since 2011, he has been working as a researcher in the biodiversity laboratory of the Central Botanical Garden.

The main and backup crews of the mission include 10 people, including citizens of Russia and the United States.

“The four-month practice mission will simulate a flight of a six-member crew to the Moon. The crew will fly in the orbit, search for a landing spot, land and send four crew members to operate on the surface of the Moon. They will then stay in the orbit to meet transfer vehicles and operate a distantly controlled moon rover to set up a base, and then return to the Earth,” chief manager of the mission Mark Belakovsky said.

The participants of the practice mission will carry out around 80 scientific research, go through a flight to the Moon and a landing on its surface in simulated conditions.

The SIRIUS project is implemented as part of the preparation for long-distance space missions, especially the lunar orbit space station Deep Space Gateway which NASA intends to set up in cooperation with the Roscosmos Corporation. Plans are in place to launch the first module of the station with an international crew on board in 2022. The German Space Agency is going to take part in the SIRIUS project as well. It has also drawn attention of scientists from Japan, Italy, France, and other countries.