Russia has handed over control of the International Space Station (ISS) to Japan, marking a significant change in the space agency’s role. Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, representing the Russian space agency Roscosmos, transferred command of the orbiting lab to Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) during a ceremony on April 18.
Ovchinin expressed his wishes for the station’s care and safety, emphasizing its importance. Onishi reciprocated, expressing gratitude and acknowledging the honor of taking command from Ovchinin. The transfer marked the end of Expedition 72, which Ovchinin commanded, and the beginning of Expedition 73, with Onishi in charge.
The current crew members, including Ovchinin, fellow cosmonaut Ivan Vagner, and NASA’s Don Pettit, are scheduled to depart on April 19 and will be replaced by Onishi. If everything goes according to plan, they will land safely in Kazakhstan on April 20.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/take-care-of-our-station-its-our-everything-russian-cosmonaut-hands-control-of-iss-over-to-japanese-astronaut-video