Russia's sole female cosmonaut declares herself "ready" for a Crew Dragon trip

Anna Kikina, Russia's sole active female cosmonaut, will be just the sixth professional female cosmonaut from Russia or the Soviet Union to go to space.

Anna Kikina, Russia's only current female cosmonaut, said Friday that she was prepared for her planned journey to the International Space Station aboard Space X's Crew Dragon. Despite rising tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia's military participation in Ukraine, the trip is planned to take place on October 3. Kikina, a 37-year-old engineer, will be just the sixth professional female cosmonaut from Russia or the Soviet Union. As part of a cross-flight agreement between NASA and Russia's space agency Roscosmos, she will also be the first Russian to go onboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Kikina said, "Of sure, I'm ready for the flight." On September 8, I will go to America for the last training session, pre-flight preparations, and procedures.

She described her role as the first Russian to fly on a Space X mission as one of immense responsibility. However, I can equally state that each flight is a significant duty for a cosmonaut. As a result, I make no exceptional distinctions.

When asked about her US coworkers' feelings toward her, Kikina stated, "I feel liked... I am pleased to be a member of this team.

Kikina will accompany Japan's Koichi Wakata and NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada on Space X's Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station on October 3. Kikina said she will bring a hand-made doll of a small child with orange hair named "Gorodovichok" from her Siberian birthplace of Novosibirsk with her.

He's already waiting for me to board, she remarked.

Elena Serova, the last Russian woman to go to space, spent 167 days on the International Space Station from September 2014 to March 2015. On June 16, 1963, Soviet astronaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space when she entered orbit. In July 1984, Svetlana Savitskaya became the second woman in space and the first woman to do a spacewalk.

In October, Russia also sent an actress to space, Yulia Peresild, who spent 12 days aboard the ISS filming parts for a film. In comparison, almost 50 American women have gone to space. On September 21, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will fly to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, joined by cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin.