May 24, 2018 - 12:07 AMT
Flags of Armenia and Yerevan sent to ISS for a space trip

A Russian philanthropist of Armenian origin, Grachya Pogosyan undertook the symbolic move of sending the flags of Armenia and Yerevan to a space trip several months ago, NovostiNK.ru reports.

The flags are currently on the International Space Station (ISS) on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia and the 2800th anniversary of the foundation of Yerevan.

Pogosyan talked to the first vice-president of the north-western chapter of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities Oleg Mukhin about his proposal to send the flags to a space travel.

At the same time, he appealed to the Armenian Apostolic Church to receive blessing for the initiative.

On March 2, Poghosyan met Armenia’s ambassador to Russia Vardan Toghanyan in Moscow. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, who ended up delivering the flags to the ISS, was also attending the meeting at the Embassy.

The philanthropist and the ambassador handed over the flags to the cosmonaut in solemn atmosphere, and on March 21 Artemyev set off for a long expedition on board the ISS-55/56 as part of the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft crew alongside NASA astronauts Andrew J. Feustel and Richard R. Arnold II. On board the ISS, they were met by Anton Shkaplerov (Russia), Scott D. Tingle (NASA, USA) and Norishige Kanai (Japan).

The flags of Armenia are currently orbiting the planet Earth in anticipation of return. The Russian space crew will return to Earth in September.

In October, a delegation from Russia, including the cosmonauts, will arrive in Yerevan to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia and the 2800th anniversary of the foundation of Erebuni-Yerevan. The delegation will hand over the flags to the leaders of Armenia and the city of Yerevan.