Russia's first female astronaut to ISS

Yelena Serova, the first female astronaut of Russia, will be taken to the 2013 International Space Station, Vladimir Popovkin, Director of the Russian Space Agency (Roscomos) said Wednesday.

This will be the first post-Soviet Russian female astronaut to be well-trained and preparing for a 170-day space mission.

Yelena Serova is eagerly preparing for the expedition

'The flight will start in 2013 because it takes at least 2 and a half years to prepare a crew', said Alexei Krasnov, the flight manager for Roscomos.

Yelena Serova said she always dreamed of flying into space. The female astronaut received enthusiastic support from her husband, also an astronaut, and her 9-year-old daughter.

Previously Valentina Tereshkova, Soviet-era citizen became the first female astronaut to fly into space on June 16, 1963 on the Vostok spaceship. 19 years later Svetlana Savitskaya is also a Soviet citizen, becoming the second woman in the world to explore the universe.