Soyuz MS-09 State Commission

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst will be launched into space on the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft alongside NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor and Roscosmos commander Sergei Prokopyev from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 6 June 2018.

All astronauts that fly on a Soyuz have a final authorisation for launch given by the state commission followed by a last press conference on Earth before liftoff.

This will be Alexander’s second spaceflight, called Horizons. He will also be the second ESA astronaut to take over command of the International Space Station. The Horizons science programme is packed with European research: over 50 experiments will deliver benefits to people on Earth as well as prepare for future space exploration.