Soyuz MS-19

Summary

Soyuz MS-19 was a Soyuz spaceflight which launched on 5 October 2021, at 08:55:02 UTC.[2] It was the 147th flight of a crewed Soyuz spacecraft. The launching crew consisted of Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov, Russian film director Klim Shipenko and Russian actress Yulia Peresild.[3] Shipenko and Peresild spent about twelve days on the International Space Station before returning to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-18, while filming a movie in space, Vyzov (Russian: Вызов, lit.'The Challenge').[4][5] The MS-18 flight launched two crew members of the Expedition 66.[6][7] Without an American astronaut, this launch marked the first time in more than 21 years (since Soyuz TM-30 in 2000) that a Soyuz crew only included Russian cosmonauts and travelers and the ship had to be upgraded to be piloted by a single person at launch.[8] This is also the first mission to the ISS with an entirely Russian crew.

Soyuz MS-19
Soyuz MS-19 arriving at the International Space Station
NamesISS 65S
Mission typeCrewed mission to ISS
OperatorRoscosmos
COSPAR ID2021-089A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.49269
Mission duration176 days, 2 hours and 33 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz MS no. 749 Astraeus
Spacecraft typeSoyuz MS
ManufacturerRSC Energia
Crew
Crew size3
MembersAnton Shkaplerov
Launching
Landing
Start of mission
Launch date5 October 2021, 08:55:02 UTC
RocketSoyuz-2.1a
Launch siteBaikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31
ContractorProgress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
Landing date30 March 2022, 11:28:26 UTC [1]
Landing site147 km southeast of Zhezkazgan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portRassvet nadir
Docking date5 October 2021, 12:22:31 UTC
Undocking date30 March 2022 07:21:03 UTC
Time docked175 days, 18 hours and 58 minutes

Shipenko, Peresild and Shkaplerov 

Crew edit

Position Launching Crew member Landing Crew member
Commander [9]   Anton Shkaplerov, Roscosmos
Expedition 65/66
Fourth and last spaceflight
Spaceflight Participant 1 / Flight Engineer   Klim Shipenko, Channel 1
Film The Challenge (Vyzov)
First spaceflight
  Pyotr Dubrov, Roscosmos
Expedition 64/65/66
First spaceflight
Spaceflight Participant 2 / Flight Engineer   Yulia Peresild, Channel 1
Film The Challenge (Vyzov)
First spaceflight
  Mark T. Vande Hei, NASA
Expedition 64/65/66
Second spaceflight

Backup crew edit

Position Crew [10]
Commander   Oleg Artemyev, Roscosmos
Spaceflight participant   Aleksey Dudin, Channel 1
Spaceflight participant   Alena Mordovina, Channel 1

Launch and docking edit

Soyuz MS-19 was launched on 5 October 2021, 08:55:02 and docked at 12:22:31 UTC following a three-hour, 2-orbit rendezvous profile, and after using a manual docking system operated by spacecraft commander Anton Shkaplerov, to the Rassvet module of the ISS.

Background and film project edit

On 14 May 2021, the Interagency Committee approved the composition of the ISS main and alternate crews for the period 2021–2023.[11] The crew of Soyuz MS-19 was decided then. Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (commander) and the crew of the film The Challenge: actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko, were chosen to go and went to the ISS on the Soyuz MS-19. The film drama was a joint project of Roscosmos, Channel One and the Yellow, Black and White studio.[12][13] The back-up crew chosen after passing the medical committee was: New Drama Theater actress Alena Mordovina, director Alexei Dudin[14] and the commander Oleg Artemyev.[15] Since 24 May 2021, the crew members had been training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.[16] On 23 July 2021, the prime crew participated in a four-hour simulation inside a Soyuz replica while wearing the Sokol suit, and on 28 July 2021,[17] the back-up crew completed the same exercise. According to the back-up commander Oleg Artemyev the performance of the two back-up Spaceflight Participants was outstanding.[18] On 30 July 2021, the spacecraft had its pre-launch preparation started.[19] On 31 August 2021, the medical committee announced that both the main and reserve crews were healthy for space flight.[20]

The filming equipment was launched at Progress MS-17[21] and returned on Soyuz MS-18.

Reactions edit

The film, which according to Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, is an "experiment to see if Roscosmos can prepare two ordinary people to fly in about 3 or 4 months" has received opposition from the scientific and aerospace communities, as to the fact that they remove trained cosmonauts from their flights, a misuse of public money,[22] or even that using the station's resources for non-scientific purposes would be illegal. Igor Krasnov, Procurator General of Russia, has opened an investigation into whether the use of space station resources is illegal.[23] Sergei Krikalev, director of crewed programs at Roscosmos, reportedly lost his position by speaking out against the project,[24] but was reinstated after a few days following protests from cosmonauts on and off active duty.[16]

Movie edit

Klim Shipenko shot about 35–40 minutes of film on the ISS, as well as taking on the positions of director, operator, art director, and makeup artist. Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov will appear in the film,[25] with Dubrov and Mark Vande Hei assisting in the production.[26] Shkaplerov will appear in some scenes of the movie.[27]

Expansion of Russian Orbital Segment edit

 
ISS Russian Orbital Segment after docking of UM Prichal module.

The ISS flight manifest drafted by Roskosmos in the fall of 2020 set the launch of the Prichal module for on 24 November 2021, with docking at Nauka's nadir port two days later.[28][29] The Prichal module will become the second addition to the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) in 2021. One port on Prichal is equipped with an active hybrid docking port, which enables docking with the Nauka 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. This will enable the Russian Orbital Segment to operate on its own after 2024.[30]

To complete the integration of the UM Prichal into the Russian segment, cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Petr Dubrov performed a spacewalk to lay cables between Nauka and Prichal. This spacewalk occurred on 19 January 2022. Seven additional spacewalks will follow through 2022 to complete the integration of the Nauka and Prichal modules into the Russian Orbital Segment.[30]

Return edit

The director and actress returned to Earth on 17 October 2021, on Soyuz MS-18, with Commander Oleg Novitskiy.[6][31] Soyuz MS-19 landed on 30 March 2022.[32]

After the successful landing of Soyuz MS-18, Dmitry Rogozin revealed that Konstantin Ernst (Director General or CEO of Channel One) paid for Shipenko and Pereslid's seats.[33]

 
Soyuz MS-19 Landing

Cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov and astronaut Mark Vande Hei finally landed on 30 March 2022, on Soyuz MS-19, with commander Anton Skhaplerov.[31]

References edit

  1. ^ Zak, Anatoly (3 September 2020). "Planned Russian space missions in 2021: Soyuz MS-19". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Фильм "Вызов": итоги медкомиссии" (in Russian). Roscosmos. 13 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Russian actress to head to ISS in 2021 to star in first feature film in space". TASS. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Выбраны 20 претенденток на роль в фильме, который будут снимать на МКС" (in Russian). Интерфакс. 9 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Срок полета двух членов экипажа "Союза МС-18" увеличат" (in Russian). TASS. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Roscosmos appointed ISS crews until 2023". 19 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021. Participants of the joint project of Roscosmos and Channel One Klim Shipenko and Yulia Peresild have been included in the ISS-66 expedition prime crew...
  8. ^ "Soyuz crewing plans for 2021 now clearer". 16 March 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Soyuz MS-19 | Soyuz 2.1a". Everyday Astronaut. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Flight crew assignments". NASASpaceFlight.com. RIA News. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Космонавты готовятся к очередной экспедиции на МКС" (in Russian). ЦПК им. Ю.А.Гагарина. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Актриса и режиссер фильма "Вызов" полетят к МКС 5 октября" (in Russian). TASS. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Экспедиция МКС-65/66. План полёта" (in Russian). Русский космос (журнал). April 2021. p. 17.
  14. ^ "Фильм "Вызов": итоги медкомиссии" (in Russian). Роскосмос. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  15. ^ Носенкова С. (April 2021). "В открытом космосе рекорды не самая хорошая вещь" (in Russian). Русский космос (журнал).
  16. ^ a b "Russian Movie in Space Part 8". 10 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  17. ^ "У основного экипажа МКС-66 начались совместные тренировки" (in Russian). 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  18. ^ "The ISS-66 back-up crew were "launched" to the ISS, for the first time". 29 July 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  19. ^ "На Байконуре началась предполетная подготовка корабля "Союз МС-19"" (in Russian). 30 July 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Члены экипажей МКС-66 признаны годными к космическому полету" (in Russian). 31 August 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Equipment for shooting 1st movie in space delivered to ISS by Russian cargo spacecraft". 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Russian actresses who will compete for trip to ISS identified". 21 March 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Russia looks for actress to steal Tom Cruise space movie thunder". 4 November 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  24. ^ "СМИ: Космонавт Сергей Крикалев лишился должности в "Роскосмосе" после критики идеи съемок на МКС" (in Russian). 13 June 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Создатели научно-просветительского проекта "Вызов" раскрыли некоторые секреты фильма" (in Russian). 31 July 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  26. ^ "Russia to switch to year-long expeditions to orbital outpost, says Roscosmos chief". 16 June 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Soyuz MS-19 | Soyuz 2.1a". Everyday Astronaut. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  28. ^ Zak, Anatoly (9 February 2021). "ISS set for the Russian expansion". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  29. ^ Zak, Anatoly (10 October 2020). "Planned Russian space missions in 2021". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  30. ^ a b Zak, Anatoly (15 January 2011). "Prichal Node Module, UM". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  31. ^ a b "На МКС 10 человек" (in Russian). Роскосмос. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  32. ^ Garcia, Mark (30 March 2022). "Crew Returns to Earth with NASA-Record Breaking Astronaut". blogs.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Finally, the correct answer who paid for the "movie crew" mission". twitter.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.

External links edit

  • Tony Quine (4 August 2021). "New details of Russian "movie in space" emerge as producers seek funding". SpaceNews.