posted 12-07-2025 12:35 PM               

Veteran Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 73 commander Sergey Ryzhikov handed over a symbolic key representing command of the International Space Station to four-time space flyer NASA astronaut Mike Fincke on Sunday (Dec. 7).

Fincke will formally take responsibility of station operations and lead the new Expedition 74 crew at the moment Ryzhikov and flight engineers Alexey Zubritsky of Roscosmos and Jonny Kim of NASA back away from the orbital outpost inside their Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft on Monday.

Fincke's Expedition 74 crewmates are Zena Cardman and Chris Williams, both with NASA; JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Platonov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev.