Turkmenistan-born Oleg Kononenko launches the final training phase for the ISS-75 crews at Baikonur
On July 1, 2026, a flag-raising ceremony was held at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, officially marking the start of the final stage of preparations for the launch of the Soyuz MS-29 crewed spacecraft. The national flags of Russia, the United States, and Kazakhstan—the countries participating in the mission—were raised during the ceremony.
Only two weeks remain before the launch of the 75th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for July 14, 2026. During this period, the crews are undergoing final training sessions, medical examinations, technical evaluations, and taking part in official pre-launch events.
The ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, representatives of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, city officials, and specialists from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Addressing the participants, the Head of the Cosmonaut Training Center and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko wished the crews success and effective teamwork during the final phase of preparation.
The prime crew of Expedition 75 includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, together with NASA astronaut Anil Menon. The backup crew consists of Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitry Petelin and Konstantin Borisov, along with NASA astronaut Deniz Burnham.
Following the ceremony, the backup crew toured Baikonur's historic sites, laid flowers at the monument to legendary spacecraft designer Sergei Korolev, visited the cosmodrome museum, and signed its guest book.
The event is particularly significant because the final preparations are personally supervised by Oleg Kononenko, who was born in Chärjew (now Türkmenabat), Turkmenistan. Holding the world record for the longest cumulative time spent in space, he has been awarded the title Hero of Turkmenistan and the country's highest decoration, the Order of the Presidential Star, for his outstanding achievements and his contribution to strengthening the friendship between Turkmenistan and Russia.
