US & Russian Soyuz MS-27 Crew: Before Launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome: Part 1

US & Russian Soyuz MS-27 Crew: Before Launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome: Part 1

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim waves as he and fellow Expedition 73 crewmates Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia depart building 254 for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station.

Dana Weigel, NASA International Space Station Program Manager, left, and Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, right, are seen as they walk NASA astronaut Jonny Kim to the base of the Soyuz rocket to board the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia is helped into his Russian Sokol suit as he and fellow crewmates, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Sergey Ryzhikov of Russia prepare for their Soyuz launch.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov is helped into his Russian Sokol suit as he and fellow crewmates, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Zubritskiy prepare for their Soyuz launch.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is seen after putting on his Russian Sokol suit as he and fellow crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia prepare for their Soyuz launch.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, left, and fellow cremates Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia, speak to friends and family after having their Russian Sokol Suits pressure checked as they prepare for their Soyuz launch.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim talks to family and friends as he and fellow Expedition 73 crewmates Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia prepare for their Soyuz launch.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov (Russia), center, and Alexey Zubritskiy (Russia), right, are seen as they report to Roscosmos management as they depart building 254 for their Soyuz launch.

In these pictures, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy of Russia, prepare for their Soyuz rocket launch to the International Space Station Tuesday, April 8, 2025 (April 7 Eastern Time) in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. 

The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft and its crew successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:47 a.m. EDT (10:47 a.m. Baikonur time) on April 8, 2025, to the International Space Station. At 4:57 a.m. EDT, the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station’s Prichal module. 

The trio joined Expedition 72, including NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Don Pettit, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Kirill Peskov, and Ivan Vagner of Russia. The newly arrived crew members will spend approximately eight months aboard the orbital laboratory, returning to Earth in December 2025.

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:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

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/Victor Zelentsov/Joel Kowsky/GCTC/Pavel Shvets
Capture Date: April 8, 2025

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