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Credit: NASA
The keys to the international space station have only changed the owner.
The cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin from the Russian space agency Roscosmos handed over control of the circulation laboratory to Takuya Onishi from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in a command ceremony in the afternoon (April 18).
“Take care of our station,” said Ovchinin shortly after he gave him the symbolic key to the International Space Station (ISS). “It is all of our.”
ISS Expedition 72 Commandant Alexey Ovchinin (left) hands over the symbolic key to the circulation laboratory to the Japan’s Takuya Onishi (right) in a mediation change on April 18, 2025. | Credit: NASA
“Thank you very much, Alexey,” replied Onishi. “It is a great honor for me to accept the ISS command, and I feel so special that I take the command from you.”
After Onishi said a few words, the two men took over and the rest of the ISS -crew applauded.
The ceremony was one of the last orbitarian events for Ovchinin, colleague Cosmonaut Ivan Vagner and Don Pettit of NASA. The trio arrived on board a Russian Soyuz spaceship on board a Russian spaceship on September 11th and is scheduled to leave on Saturday (April 19) at 5:57 p.m. Edt (2157 GMT).
This stocking will mark the official end of the current expedition 72 of the station, the ovchinin commands, and the beginning of the expedition 73, whereby Onishi has control.
Related stories:
-Interview: In the astronaut Don Pettits Breathtaking Raum Fotography
– ‘Spaceborne’: Astronaut Don Pettits Astonishing space photos (gallery)
– International Space Station: Everything you need to know about the orbital laboratory
When everything goes according to plan, the Sojuz, the Ovchinin, Pettit and Vagner, will be on Saturday at 9:20 p.m. Edt (0120 GMT and 6:20 a.m. on April 20 at 6:20 p.m. at 6:20 p.m.) on the steppe of Kazakhstan).
You can see your return live on Space.com when the time comes.
