Preparing for orbit: the crew behind Expedition 44's journey to the stars

Space · Published 8 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before launching into the void, astronauts undergo rigorous traditional ceremonies. As the Expedition 44 crew prepares to depart for the Baikonur Cosmodrome, they stand on the threshold of a five-month mission to the International Space Station, where they will conduct vital research in microgravity.

At Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, an international crew met on July 10. This ceremony marked a critical milestone for the Expedition 44 crew, which includes Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren, and JAXA Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui. Their assigned alternates included Tim Kopra from NASA, Timothy Peake of the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos's Yuri Malenchenko. The group gathered at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre to observe these customs. This gathering in Star City, located just outside Moscow, served as a formal prelude to their upcoming flight.

Following these traditions, the primary crew departed for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their goal was to finalize training for the launch of the Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft. This mission, scheduled for July 23 Kazakh time, was designed to last approximately five months aboard the International Space Station. The crew's departure to Kazakhstan was intended to complete their final preparations. They aimed to be ready for their upcoming departure aboard the Soyuz TMA-17M.

The research conducted during such missions pushes the boundaries of human knowledge. For instance, the crew during Expedition 44 was tasked with diverse scientific objectives, including the famous Twins study, growing salad crops, monitoring station microbes, and observing liquid crystals to help advance the field of electronics. These experiments represent the complex intersection of human biology and space physics that defines life in low Earth orbit. These scientific pursuits involve a wide range of microgravity research. Such studies encompass human biology and various aspects of space physics.

Beyond human research, the mission involves a complex choreography of logistics. This includes managing cargo and crew missions, such as the docking of various visiting vehicles and conducting spacewalks, which are essential for maintaining the station's integrity and advancing microgravity science. The crew also captured many images of the Earth and the station. These photographs document their daily lives and the various experiments performed during the mission.

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