On August 27, the prime and backup crewmembers of the new-series transport manned vehicle (ТMV) Soyuz МS-06 arrived at Baikonur cosmodrome for final their training before the flight.

The Expedition prime crew consists of ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hey and Joseph Acaba. The backup crewmembers are ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and NASA astronauts Scott Tingle and Shannon Walker.

In Baikonur the cosmonauts and astronauts will perform fit checks of Sokol-KV spacesuits, take their seats in the vehicle, get familiar with the onboard data files and perform some tests of the onboard systems. During the final training sessions at the launch site training of the vehicle manual proximity operations to the ISS, audit of scientific hardware kits, testing of upcoming ballistic operations and other preparatory procedures are also planned.

The launch of Soyuz MS-06 carrying the crew of the next long-duration tour to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled for September 13 from Launch Pad Area No.1 (“Gagarin’s launch pad”) of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.