Two Russian cosmonauts, along with an American astronaut, were supposed to blast-off to the International Space Station on April 20, but there’s been a change of plan, Lenta.ru reports.

For some unknown reason, Roskosmos – Russia’s equivalent of NASA – decided that three Russians was one too many on board the ISS, so told one unlucky Russian cosmonaut his feet were staying firmly on the ground. Apparently, a last minute replacement was sought, but to no avail.

But what happens when the rocket has been designed to take three people? Exact weight measurements are crucial to a successful launch. Easy, load the rocket with the dead weight equivalent of the ousted cosmonaut.

Now, Oleg Novitsky – a member of the current three-person crew manning the ISS – will only welcome fellow compatriot Fyodor Yurchikhin and American Jack Fischer, plus a 70-kilo cargo when the “Soyuz MS-04” touches base on April 20 at 16:22 Moscow time.