The spacecraft carries onboard the crew consisting of ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut Sergei Ryzhikov, ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut Andrei Borisenko and NASA astronaut Robert Shane Kimbrough.

The launch vehicle Soyuz-FG with spacecraft Soyuz MS-02 was launched from Site No.31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 19 at 11:05 Moscow time. The spacecraft Soyuz MS-02 separated from the third stage of the launch vehicle nominally at the expected time and started to approach the ISS using a classic 34-orbit rendezvous profile. This profile was selected because it is traditionally considered as more reliable and suitable for developmental testing of upgraded spacecraft systems.

After about two days in free flight the spacecraft reached the station. The docking with the Mini Research Module (MRM2) Poisk was performed in the automatic mode. The contact of the vehicles was detected at 12:52:27 Moscow Time, and the mechanical capture was performed at 12:58 Moscow Time. The rendezvous and docking used the improved RF system Kurs-NA.

After performing preparatory operations (removing and drying spacesuits, performing a leak test of compartments and the docking interface, equalizing pressure, etc.), transfer hatches between the spacecraft and the ISS will be open, and the newly arrived crewmembers will transfer to the station. There they will be met by ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut Anatoli IVANISHIN, JAXA astronaut Takuya ONISHI and NASA astronaut Kathleen RUBINS.

During their stay on the ISS the ROSCOSMOS cosmonauts and NASA astronaut being members of the ISS-49 and ISS-50 Increments are supposed to perform transport cargo vehicle operations; flight tests of the new spacecraft, and test the new systems, i.e. onboard radio system, combined propulsion system, motion control and navigation system, television system. The cosmonauts also will have to ensure undocking of Soyuz MS, return of the three ISS-48/49 crew members to the Earth, and docking of Soyuz MS-03 carrying the crewmembers of the ISS-50/51 Increment. The applied scientific research program envisages 54 scientific experiments in various areas like bio-medical, geophysical, biotechnological, etc. The total planned duration of the crew flight will be 130 days.