The hexagon (six-sided) shape of the Expedition 43 patch represents the six crew members living and working onboard the orbital outpost.

The International Space Station is portrayed in orbit around the Earth, representing the multi-national partnership that has constructed, developed, and continues to operate the ISS for the benefit of all humankind.

The sunrise marks the beginning of a new day, reflecting the fact that we're at the dawn of our history as a space faring species. The moon and planets represent future exploration of our solar system, for which the ISS is a stepping stone.

Finally, the five stars honor the crews who have lost their lives during the pursuit of human spaceflight.

The patch was designed by Matt Lehman, assisted by Brandon Heath, working with Terry Virts. It was revealed by NASA on May 4, 2013. A first batch of 50 patches with the name Lonchakov was produced by AB Emblem in early August 2013 for crew use ahead of NASA's official order. Lonchakov resigned from the cosmonaut team on September 5, 2013, and was replaced by Gennadi Padalka, prompting a design change.

The patch as produced by Tsenki in Russia.