He leaves Earth on 2 September in the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft with commander Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.
The three men are staying near the launchpad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, preparing for launch. This image was taken as Andreas was making sure his Sokol suit fits correctly. He will wear this suit for launch and landing, and it will protect him in case of an emergency.
Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations
