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Soyuz MS-18

Summary

Soyuz MS-18
Mission typeCrewed mission to ISS
OperatorRoscosmos
Mission duration~180 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz MS
Spacecraft typeSoyuz MS 11F732A48
ManufacturerEnergia
Crew
Crew size3
MembersOleg Novitsky
Pyotr Dubrov
Sergey Korsakov
Start of mission
Launch date10 April 2021 (planned) [1][2]
RocketSoyuz-2.1a
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31
ContractorProgress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
Landing date13 October 2021 (planned)
Landing siteKazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portRassvet nadir
Docking date10 April 2021 (planned)[2]
Undocking date13 October 2021 (planned)
Time docked195 days (planned)
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)
 

Soyuz MS-18 is a Soyuz spaceflight planned for launch NET 10 April 2021.[1][3] It will transport three members of the Expedition 65 crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Soyuz MS-18 will be the 146th crewed flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew will consist of a Russian commander and two Russian flight engineers.[4][5][6][7] The spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth on 13 October 2021 following 180 days in space.[3] Without an American astronaut, this launch would mark the first time in 21 years (since Soyuz TM-30 in 2000) that a Soyuz crew only includes Russian cosmonauts.[8][9] It is expected that the flight will serve as the landing vehicle for a Russian actress and film director Klim Shipenko who will launch to the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-19 and spend approximately a week in space in order to film a movie.[10]

Crew

Position Launching Crew member Landing Crew member
Commander Russia Oleg Novitsky, RSA
Expedition 65
Third spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1 Russia Pyotr Dubrov, RSA
Expedition 65
First spaceflight 		Russia Klim Shipenko, Channel 1
Film TBA
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2 Russia Sergey Korsakov, RSA
Expedition 65
First spaceflight 		Russia Actress TBA, Channel 1
Film TBA
First spaceflight

Backup crew

Position Crew member
Commander Russia Anton Shkaplerov, RSA
Flight Engineer 1 Russia Oleg Artemyev, RSA
Flight Engineer 2 Russia Dmitriy Petelin, RSA

Expansion of Russian Orbital Segment

Computer generated image of the Russian Orbital Segment after Nauka docking.

The Soyuz MS-18 crew will arrive ahead of the launch and docking of Nauka on May 2021. The UM Prichal module will launch to the International Space Station on 6 September 2021 with Progress M-UM.

The ISS flight manifest drafted by Roskosmos at the end of summer 2020, set the launch of Prichal for September 6, 2021, with the docking to Nauka's nadir port two days later.[11] One port on Prichal is equipped with an active hybrid docking port, which enables docking with the Nauka/MLM module. The remaining five ports are passive hybrids, enabling docking of Soyuz and Progress vehicles, as well as heavier modules and future spacecraft with modified docking systems.[12]

A spacewalk is planned by the Soyuz MS-18 crew, after the arrival of the Prichal module at the space station. This spacewalk will focus on initial provisioning of the module.[3][12]

The Prichal module will become the second addition to the Russian Orbital Segment in 2021.

References

  1. ^ a b Baylor, Michael (1 April 2020). "Status - Soyuz MS-18". NextSpaceflight. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b Zak, Anatoly (1 December 2020). "Evolution of the Soyuz MS-17 flight program". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Zak, Anatoly (2 September 2020). "Planned Russian space missions in 2021: Soyuz MS-18". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  4. ^ @anik1982space (28 February 2020). "Первоначально в основной экипаж "Союза МС-18" (старт весной 2021 года) входили Сергей Рыжиков, Сергей Кудь-Сверчков и Сергей Корсаков. Можно предположить, что Кэтлин Рубинс теперь в этом экипаже вместо Корсакова, а в дублирующем - Томас Маршберн.pic.twitter.com/ICQtgZU8Mx" [Initially, the prime crew of the Soyuz MS-18 (starting in the spring of 2021) included Sergei Ryzhikov, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Korsakov. We can assume that Kathleen Rubins is now in this crew instead of Korsakov, and in the backup one - Thomas Marshburn.pic.twitter.com / ICQtgZU8Mx] (Tweet) (in Russian). Retrieved 3 March 2020 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "Для возможного полета на "Союзе" в 2021 году выбрали Кэтлин Рубинс" [Kathleen Rubins was chosen for a possible flight on the Soyuz in 2021]. ria.ru (in Russian). 6 March 2020.
  6. ^ @anik1982space (9 May 2020). "Вот и новые составы российских экипажей «Союза МС-17» стали известны из пресс-релиза аэропорта Жуковский.
    Основной: Сергей Рыжиков, Сергей Кудь-Сверчков.
    Дублирующий: Олег Новицкий, Пётр Дубров.
    К сожалению, Николая Тихонова и Андрея Бабкина нет..." [Russian Soyuz MS-17 crews became known from the press release of Zhukovsky airport. Main: Sergey Ryzhikov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. Dubbing: Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov. Unfortunately, Nikolai Tikhonov and Andrey Babkin are gone.] (Tweet) (in Russian) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "Роскосмос подтвердил подписание контракта на доставку астронавта NASA на корабле "Союз"" [Roscosmos has confirmed the signing of a contract for the delivery of a NASA astronaut on the Soyuz spacecraft] (in Russian). 12 March 2020.
  8. ^ "НАСА передумало покупать место на "Союзе" для доставки астронавта на МКС" [NASA changes its mind about buying space on Soyuz to deliver astronaut to ISS] (in Russian). Sputnik News. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Flight crew assignments". NASASpaceflight. 27 May 2020.
  10. ^ https://tass.com/society/1219251
  11. ^ Zak, Anatoly (10 October 2020). "Planned Russian space missions in 2021". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  12. ^ a b Zak, Anatoly (15 January 2011), Prichal Node Module, UM, RussianSpaceWeb, retrieved 17 November 2020