It also received the green light to board Anton Shkaplerov, the cosmonaut who will accompany the actress and director to the International Special Station (ISS), where the film “The Challenge” will be shot, and who will work as commander and engineer of flight. The three elements have replacements, in case something unforeseen arises, according to the news agency Efe.

Shipenko and Peresild, one of Russia's most recognized actresses, will travel in October. Kilm Shipenko, Yulia Peresild and Anton Shkaplerov began preparing for space travel in May, having had a shorter training than usual. The preparation consisted of learning the onboard systems of the Soyuz MS-19 rocket in which they will fly and the Russian orbital segment of the ISS.

In flight training, the director, actress and cosmonaut also had to get used to the zero gravity conditions on the ISS and learn how to react in the event of an emergency water landing when they return to Earth. The space travellers will take off in early October from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and will stay at the International Special Station for about 12 days.