Expert is a test spacecraft to obtain flight data used to validate design tools, ground facilities and verify new techniques. Expert will help scientists design future atmospheric missions.

Expert will be launched from a Russian submarine on a Volna rocket and will land in the Kamchatka Peninsula. It's initial reentry speed will be 5 km/s, with a flight path angle of -5.5 at an altitude of 100 km.

The entry will resemble conditions that can be simulated by European test facilities such as plasma and wind tunnels. The data from the test facilities can be compared with Expert's flight.