The final gatekeepers: Russia’s State Commission grants Soyuz launch approval
In short: Before a spacecraft pierces the atmosphere, it must survive a rigorous bureaucratic and technical gauntlet. On September 24, the crew of Expedition 41/42 stood before the Russian State Commission in Baikonur to receive their final green light for the journey ahead.
The transition from training to launch is marked by a high-stakes review process. On September 24, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Expedition 41/42 crew underwent a formal appearance before the Russian State Commission. This body serves as the final authority for mission safety and readiness. The commission granted official approval for Commander Alexander Samokutyaev, Flight Engineer Elena Serova, and NASA Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore to depart on their Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft on September 26. The crew also held a final prelaunch news conference at the Cosmonaut Hotel. This event served as their last public interaction before departure.
The crew composition reflects the ongoing international cooperation of the International Space Station (ISS). While Samokutyaev and Serova represent the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Wilmore represents NASA. Notably, Serova’s upcoming flight marked a milestone as she became only the fourth Russian woman to fly in space. The mission also involved high-profile backups, including Scott Kelly and Gennady Padalka, who were slated for a subsequent one-year mission in March 2015. Mikhail Kornienko was also designated as a backup for this specific flight. The crew members were prepared to depart on Kazakh time.
Once aboard, the crew's objectives shifted from procedural readiness to complex scientific inquiry. Expedition 42 was tasked with diverse research, ranging from observing atmospheric pollution and studying how microgravity affects human immune cells to researching super-heated materials for advanced alloys. These missions are supported by a logistical backbone of cargo deliveries from SpaceX and Progress vehicles, alongside scheduled extravehicular activities (spacewalks) that require precise coordination between the international partners. The team conducted three distinct spacewalks during the mission. One of these extravehicular activities lasted over six hours and forty minutes.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Expedition 41/42 Crew Meets Russian Commission Officials and Reporters as Launch Approaches
- Also: Expedition 42 - NASA
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