The Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft is scheduled to be launched on March 18, Russia’s Roscosmos state space agency said in a statement on Sunday.

According to the agency, two Russian manned spacecraft are expected to be launched this year.

"The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the Soyuz MS-21 manned transport spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from the Baikonur spaceport at 06:55 pm Moscow time on March 18," the statement reads. "The next manned spacecraft will be launched from the Baikonur spaceport at 04:54 pm Moscow time on September 21," Roscosmos added.

Besides, Russia’s only female cosmonaut Anna Kikina is expected to go on a space mission in September or October as part of a Russia-US exchange program.