“We are proud of all our compatriots who, throughout history, have contributed to the development of space technologies. Vasilévskaya’s flight represents a breakthrough in the participation of Belarus, as a sovereign nation, in space programs,” the head of state said, according to BelTA agency.

The president stressed that the display of the national flags of Belarus and Russia, more than 400 kilometers above the surface of the planet, symbolizes the fraternal ties that unite the two nations.

The descent module of the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft landed on a steppe in Kazakhstan on April 6, returning to Earth Belarusian Marina Vasilévskaya, Russian Oleg Novitski, and American Loral O’Hara.

Novitski and Vasilévskaya arrived at the International Space Station on March 25, 2024, on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft. O’Hara arrived at the ISS along with Russians Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on Sept. 15, 2023.

For Novitski, it was the fourth spaceflight. O’Hara and Vasilévskaya saw each other in orbit for the first time.

jrr/jav/mem/gfa