The only female candidate for Russia's cosmonaut team has not made the cut after officials disqualified two out of the eight candidates who had been training to fly into space, a news report said.
Anna Kikina, 29, failed to pass an unspecified test, involving a "very serious challenge," after two years of training for the mission, head of the RKK Energiya space company Alexander Kaleri said Thursday, Interfax reported.
The decision to scrap Kikina's candidacy came on June 16 — exactly 51 years after Russia sent the world's first female astronaut, Valentina Tereshkova, into space.
A review board has "thoroughly considered the results of training, analyzed everything and decided by a majority vote not to confer the rank of cosmonaut on Kikina," Kaleri was quoted as saying.
The space company chief said Kikina began training in 2012 among eight candidates competing for six spots on the space team, Interfax reported.
"They were warned that a screening out was likely," Kaleri added.
Another candidate, Ignat Ignatov, has been disqualified for medical reasons, he said.
Three Russian women have traveled into space so far — Tereshkova, Svetlana Savitskaya and Yelena Kondakova — and a fourth one, Yelena Serova, is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in September.
Out of the 57 women to have made it into space, 44 have been from the U.S.
See also:
Russian-Ukrainian Rocket Launches Record Number of Satellites
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
