Flags of Yerevan, Armenia sent to International Space Station  

Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia and the 2,800 anniversary of Yerevan, the national flags of Armenia and the capital city have been sent to the International Space Station (ISS).

The symbolic gift is a special surprise by Hrachya Poghosyan, an Armenian philanthropist from St Petersburg (Russia), Novostnik.ru reports.

Oleg Mukhin, the vice president of the organization’s South-Western Division, was the first to receive the flags before they were sent to the space voyage. He expressed his support to the initiative, highlighting the Armenian nation's contribution to space industries.

Alexander Kemurjyan was the first space engineer to design the first automatic undercarriage for moon shuttles.

Mukhin also highly praised Poghosyan's personal contribution.

The idea received support also by Roscosmos, a Russian government agency responsible for space flight and cosmonautics programs.

Poghosyan earlier received the blessings of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II (at the Mother See of St Echmiadzin).

At a special reception at the Armenian Embassy in Moscow on March 2, Ambassador Vardan Toghanyan and Armenia's consul general in St Petersburg, Hrayr Karapetyan, handed over the emblems to Poghosyan and Artemev.

The flags are now on a round the world cruise. The crew is due to return to Earth in September. As early as in October, a Russian delegation including the spacemen is to visit Armenia to attend the jubilee events and to hand over the flags to representatives of the Armenian government and the municipal authorities of Yerevan.