Command of the space station has been handed over to Samantha Cristoforetti, now the first European woman in charge of the orbiting laboratory.
According to "Space", Cristoforetti is the fifth European commander of the International Space Station, after Frank de Wine, Alexander Gerst, Luca Parmitano and Thomas Pesquet, according to the European Space Agency.
Also, during the leadership change ceremony, former commander Oleg Artemyev confirmed that the complex currently hosts 10 people representing three countries: Russia, the United States and Italy.
"This means that in spite of everything, despite all the crises on the ground, we continue our international cooperation, thank God there are smart people who do not stop this thread of peace," Artemyev said in Russian.
The new status will require Cristoforetti to take responsibility for on-site crew activities on the International Space Station, including "crew performance and welfare in orbit, maintaining effective communication with teams on the ground, and coordinating the emergency crew response."
Expedition 68, which officially begins when Artemyev and fellow cosmonauts Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov leave the orbiting laboratory aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, will lead.