On March 23, 2024, the first female cosmonaut in the history of sovereign Belarus, Marina Vasilevskaya, set off from the Baikonur cosmodrome to the International Space Station as part of the main crew of the 21st visiting expedition. On board the Soyuz MS-25 manned transport spacecraft with our compatriot are experienced cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson.

The delegation of the NAS of Belarus headed by Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov took part in the ceremonial send-off of the first cosmonaut of Belarus at the Baikonur cosmodrome. The delegation of the Council of Young Scientists of the NAS of Belarus was part of the support group. Before the flight, the cosmonauts received cordial parting words from the Chairman of the Presidium, the leadership and young scientists of the NAS of Belarus.

During the visit, Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov took part in the work of the state commission on readiness for the launch of the visiting expedition to the International Space Station at the Baikonur Cosmonaut Training Center. A meeting was held with the Head of the Roscosmos State Corporation Yuri Borisov.

Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov and Chief Scientific Secretary Vasily Gursky visited Gagarin's cottage and Korolev's cottage, as well as the Cosmonautics Museum at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus made an entry in the book of honorary guests of the Cosmonautics Museum.

On the eve of the trip to Baikonur, Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov and Chief Scientific Secretary Vasily Gursky visited the Kurchatov Institute, where they met with Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute. The heads of the leading scientific organizations of the Union State discussed the implementation of the roadmap for bilateral cooperation, exchanged ideas for the development of scientific and technological cooperation and outlined plans for joint work in the future.

Belarusian cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya conducts scientific experiments on the ISS. Their results will be a significant step towards the development of Belarusian science. The program was developed by the NAS of Belarus, RAS and Roscosmos. It includes 7 targeted works. Of these, 5 are research projects and 2 are educational projects.

The initiator of the national project to prepare the Belarusian cosmonaut for flight was the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko.