Oleg Kononenko has been appointed as the commander of the crew of the "Soyuz MS-31" spacecraft. This mission marks his sixth spaceflight, adding to his impressive record as the Hero of the Russian Federation and head of the cosmonaut squad.

Kononenko holds a world record for the longest total time spent in space, with nearly 1111 days of experience. Joining him on this mission is Alexander Grebenkin, who will serve as a board engineer during the journey to the International Space Station.