On September 12, 2019, a traditional ceremony of raising the flags of the countries, participating in the launch of the “Soyuz MS-15” spacecraft to the International Space Station took place at the site № 17 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The event, which symbolizes the official start of the final stage of preparation, was attended by the main and backup crews of the ISS-61/62 / EP-19 expedition.

Oleg Skrypochka raised the flag of Russia, Jessica Meir and Thomas Marshburn – the flag of the United States, Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi – the flag of the United Arab Emirates, and Sergey Ryzhikov – the flag of Kazakhstan.

The traditional event was also attended by representatives of the Roscosmos State Corporation, the administration of Baikonur, the Yuzhny Space Center, as well as specialists from the GCTC, which provide pre-launch training for all crews.

After the flag-raising ceremony, the backup crew of the “Soyuz MS-15” spacecraft (Serge Ryzhikov, Thomas Marshburn and Sultan Al Neyadi) went on a tour of Baikonur city.

While walking around the city, whose history is inextricably linked with the names of the great people, involved in space exploration, the crew laid flowers at the monument to Yury Gagarin and paid tribute to the legendary designer Sergey Korolev.

The launch under the International Space Station program is scheduled for September 25, 2019.