Russia's TASS news agency to open office aboard ISS; hires astronaut as employee

Russian news agency TASS on Wednesday officially registered itself as the first media outlet in the world that will have a permanent office on the International Space Station (ISS). CEO of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin and TASS Director General Sergei Mikhailov, signed a memorandum of understanding today which marked the beginning of a partnership between the two. Roscosmos announced the deal via Twitter where it mentioned that the news agency’s first correspondent will be a Russian cosmonaut.

How will the office work in space?

TASS has entered an agreement with Roscosmos as it states that the agency seeks to be wherever breaking news happens. According to an official release by the agency, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin will be TASS’ first correspondent and his job will be to provide regular updates about the space station’s daily routine. His reports will be made accessible to the public via TASS and his photo and videos will be uploaded on the agency’s website and official social media handles.

Misurkin will visit the space station carrying TASS correspondent's ID aboard the Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft on December 8, with Japanese billionaire Yusako Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano. Opening up about the news agency's idea to report from space, Mikhailov said-

Previously, we were limited to our planet. TASS is present in all regions of Russia and in more than 60 countries. In the coming years their numbers will increase. We’ve eyed the idea that outer space may be the target of our news expansion, and I am very glad that cooperation with the Roscosmos Corporation has taken shape very quickly and harmoniously.

He added that having Russian cosmonauts as colleagues would be “an incredible honour” and that he is looking forward to Misurkin’s reports sent from space. 

Roscosmos’ CEO Rogozin also reflected on the newly forged partnership and stated that reporting news from space will provide the Russian space industry with a wider audience. “A special enlightenment and educational project by Roscosmos and TASS is expected to popularize Russia’s activity in space. The agency’s readership will have a chance to learn far more facts and details about the cosmonauts work in space, the research experiments they conduct, and the distinguishing features of a space flight”, Rogozin said as per TASS. Since Misurkin will have to perform two jobs- one of an astronaut and another of a reporter, Rogozin assured that there will be no conflict of interest as he is “highly professional”.

Image: Twitter/@Roscosmos