Today, on October 18, the State Commission at the Baikonur launch site approved the main and the backup crew assignments of the manned transportation vehicle of the new series Soyuz МS-02 and confirmed the readiness of the integrated space launch system Soyuz-FG/Soyuz МS-02 and the ground infrastructure for the launch under the ISS program.

The main crew of the manned transportation spacecraft Soyuz MS-02 includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikovand Andrei Borisenko and NASA astronaut Robert Shane Kimbrough. The backup crew consists of Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin and Nikolai Tikhonov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.

Upon completion of the State Commission session the members of the main and backup crews answered questions from Russian and foreign journalists at the traditional pre-flight press conference.

The launch vehicle with Soyuz МS-02 was rolled out from the integration and test building and erected at the launch pad of Site No.31 at Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 16. The spacecraft launch is scheduled on October 19.