In the Kazakh city of Baikonur, administered by Russia, the Orthodox priest Serguiy Bitchkov blesses all the machines which take off into space since 1999. According to his count, the blessing of the Soyuz MS20 which transported the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to the ISS this week is its 380th ceremony.
“It started with the military, their families, the children. Little by little, with the help of God, we approached the cosmonauts, the engineers, the chief engineers of the rockets. And in 1999, it was decided to bless all the spaceships that are sent from here, ”he explains.
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