Today, on April 17, medium capacity launch vehicle Soyuz-FG with new-series manned vehicle Soyuz MS-04 was carried out from the integration and test facility and erected at the launch pad of Launch Site No.1 “Gagarin’s launch pad” of Baikonur cosmodrome.

Specialists from RSC Energia and other ROSCOSMOS enterprises involved in the prelaunch processing are performing final processing operations at the launch site. Prelaunch tests of the rocket and space complex systems and assemblies are being conducted, the onboard systems and ground equipment interfaces are being checked.

The launch of Soyuz MS-04 carrying the crew of the next long-duration tour to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled on April 20, 2017.

The ISS-51/52 Expedition consists of ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut Fedor YURCHIKHIN and NASA astronaut Jack FISHER . Their backups are ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut Sergei RYAZANSKY and NASA astronaut Randolph BRESNIK.