US & Russian Soyuz MS-27 Crew Pre-Launch Press Conference in Kazakhstan
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia seen in quarantine, behind glass, as they pose for a picture following a press conference
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference, Monday, April 7, 2025 a the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, left, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov are seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference, Monday, April 7, 2025 a the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan
Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov is seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference
Expedition 73 crewmembers NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy seen during the State Commission meeting to approve the Soyuz launch of Expedition 73 to the International Space Station
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-27 prime and backup crews completed final pre-flight training for the scheduled launch April 8, 2025, of Expedition 73 crew members NASA’s Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky of Russia on the start of a planned eight-month mission to the International Space Station. The training activities that took place March 12 to April 4 included the rollout of the Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle to its launch pad in Baikonur April 5.
They will orbit Earth twice before docking to the Pirs docking compartment just over three hours later. The trio will stay in space for an eight-month research mission.
Less than two weeks after the new crew’s arrival, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit will return to Earth with Expedition 72 Commander Alexey Ovchinin and Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner. Ovchinin and Vagner are Roscosmos cosmonauts. The veteran crewmates will board the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship, undock from the Rassvet module, and parachute to a landing in the steppe of Kazakhstan less than three-and-a-half hours later ending a seven-month mission.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi will take over command of the space station from Ovchinin the day before he leaves with Pettit and Vagner. Expedition 72 will end and Expedition 73 will officially begin the moment the Soyuz MS-26 undocks from Rassvet.
Expedition 72 Updates:
Expedition 72 Crew
Station Commander: Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov
NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers
JAXA Flight Engineer: Takuya Onishi
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.
Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Capture Date: April 7, 2025
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