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Volga-Dnepr Airlines, the market leader in heavy and oversized air freight transport, and its partner Bolloré Logistics, support a key mission for the global aerospace industry with the delivery of the first European Space Module (ESM ) intended for historical space program that in 2022 will take astronauts beyond their low Earth orbit.
The 14-tonne module, transported in a special container to maintain precise temperature and pressure conditions, as well as 10 tons of support material, was delivered on board an Antonov 124 cargo freighter. Volga-Dnepr from Bremen, Germany, to Titusville, USA, for installation on the next-generation Orion satellite and testing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The module provides the spacecraft with propulsion, power, water and oxygen sources, as well as a thermal control.
The first unmanned Orion mission is scheduled for 2020 and will take the spacecraft more than 64,000 kilometers beyond the Moon. Two years later, the first manned spaceflight will carry astronauts farther than ever as part of the scientific data collection program aimed at developing the ability of humans to move on Mars.
Konstantin Vekshin, executive chairman of freight charter operations at the airline Volga-Dnepr, said: "It is an honor for us to support such an important and historic company. The provision of specialized transportation services to the aerospace industry is one of the main areas of expertise of Volga-Dnepr Airlines. Each year, we operate more than 50 flights carrying various space cargoes, including satellites, spacecraft parts, rockets and thrusters. The unique capabilities of our Antonov 124-100 and Ilyushin 76TD-90VD freighters, with their ramp loading capabilities and onboard crane systems, combined with our three decades of experience, allow our expert team to provide safe, fast and cost-effective solutions for the delivery of such important and sensitive cargoes. We wish this unique space mission, which changes the story, all the success possible! "
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