The main crew, scheduled to lift off on April 8 from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on board the Soyuz TMA-12 craft, will comprise Russian astronauts, Commander Sergei Volkov and Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, and the first South Korean female astronaut, Yi So-yeon.
Russian astronauts will spend six months on board the ISS, while Yi So-yeon - only ten days. Their scientific research program includes studies into the growth of proteins and polymers, forecasting earthquakes, and the influence of space on various life forms, including human beings.
The main and the back-up crews have arrived at the Baikonur space center and started final preparations for the space flight, Roscosmos said in a statement.
A $25-milion contract for a Korean astronaut to fly to the ISS was signed between Russia and South Korea in December 2006.
