Vladimir Gusakov said: “A very prestigious, bright project in the area of manned cosmonautics is being implemented now. We've arranged a major contest and about 2,000 applicants turned up. We selected six women candidates for the cosmic flight."
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with the Belarusian cosmonaut candidates at the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Center in Russia on 24 December.