Soyuz MS-25, Russian production No. 756 and identified by NASA as Soyuz 71S, was a Russian crewed Soyuz spaceflight from Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.[5][6]

Soyuz MS-25
Soyuz MS-25 illuminated by an aurora
NamesISS 71S
Mission typeISS crew transport
OperatorRoscosmos
COSPAR ID2024-055A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.59294Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration183 days, 23 hours, 22 minutes and 54 seconds
Distance travelled126,000,000 km (78,000,000 mi)[1]
Orbits completed2,944[1]
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz MS-25 No. 756[2]
Spacecraft typeSoyuz MS
ManufacturerEnergia
Launch mass7,152 kg (15,767 lb)[2]
Crew
Crew size3
MembersTracy Caldwell Dyson
Launching
Landing
CallsignKazbek
Start of mission
Launch date23 March 2024, 12:36:10 (2024-03-23UTC12:36:10Z) UTC[3]
RocketSoyuz-2.1a No. 15000-066[2]
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31/6
ContractorRKTs Progress
End of mission
Landing date23 September 2024, 11:59:04 (2024-09-23UTC11:59:05Z) UTC[4]
Landing siteKazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan (47°21′00″N 69°38′00″E / 47.35000°N 69.63333°E / 47.35000; 69.63333)[4]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portPrichal nadir
Docking date25 March 2024, 15:02:51 UTC[2]
Undocking date23 September 2024, 08:36:30 UTC[4]
Time docked181 days, 17 hours, 33 minutes and 39 seconds

Mission patches: launch (left) and landing (right)


Top: launching crew, from left: Dyson, Novitsky, and Vasileuskaya
Bottom: landing crew, from left: Kononenko, Chub, and Dyson

Crew

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MS-25 saw was the first launch of two women, Tracy Caldwell-Dyson from the United States and Maryna Vasileuskaya from Belarus,[7] aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. MS-25 also saw the launch of two people from Belarus, as the mission commander, Oleg Novitsky was born in Chervyen, when it was part of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Prime crew
Position Launching crew member Landing crew member
Commander   Oleg Novitsky, Roscosmos
21st Visiting Expedition
Fourth spaceflight
  Oleg Kononenko, Roscosmos
Expedition 69/70/71
Fifth spaceflight
Spaceflight Participant/ Flight Engineer   Maryna Vasileuskaya, Belarus Space Agency
21st Visiting Expedition
First spaceflight
  Nikolai Chub, Roscosmos
Expedition 69/70/71
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer   Tracy Caldwell-Dyson, NASA
Expedition 70/71
Third spaceflight
Backup crew
Position Crew
Commander   Ivan Vagner, Roscosmos
Spaceflight participant   Anastasia Lenkova, Belarus Space Agency
Flight Engineer   Donald Pettit, NASA

Flight

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Soyuz MS-25 rolled out to Pad 31/6

It was originally scheduled for launch on 21 March 2024, but due to a voltage drop in one of the power generators, the launch was aborted.[8] The second launch attempt on 23 March 2024 was successful.

Caldwell-Dyson spent approximately six months aboard the International Space Station. Novitsky and Vasileuskaya of Belarus spent approximately 13 days aboard the orbital complex as a part of 21st ISS visiting expedition before returning aboard Soyuz MS-24.[9]

Undocking and Return

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At the end of Expedition 71, Caldwell-Dyson returned to Earth on Soyuz MS-25 with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on 23 September 2024. They arrived with NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara on Soyuz MS-24 on 15 September 2023. O'Hara returned to Earth on MS-24 with Novitsky and Vasileuskaya.[9][10] Kononenko and Chub remained aboard the orbital laboratory for a year. As the mission lasted 374 days, Kononenko spent a total of 1,111 days in space by the time he returned to Earth. He broke the world record of 878 days in space held by Gennady Padalka on February 4, 2024 at 07:30:08 UTC. He later became the first person to stay 900, 1,000, and 1,100 days in space on 25 February 2024, 4 June 2024, and 12 September 2024 respectively.[11]

References

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  This article incorporates public domain material from NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson Receives Third Space Station Assignment. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. ^ a b Doyle, Tiernan P. (23 September 2024). "NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Crewmates Return from Space Station". NASA. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Zak, Anatoly (11 September 2024). "Soyuz MS-26 lifts off". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  3. ^ Pearlman, Robert Z. (23 March 2024). "Flight attendant becomes 1st Belarusian in space on ISS-bound Soyuz launch". Space.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Spaceflight mission report Soyuz MS-25". spacefacts.de. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Космодром Байконур" [Baikonur Cosmodrome]. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Next year's Russian manned missions to ISS due in March, September".
  7. ^ "Belarusian female astronaut to go ISS in March 2024 — Roscosmos". TASS. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Soyuz MS-25 Launch Scrubbed". NASA. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b O'Shea, Claire (15 September 2023). "NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson Receives Third Space Station Assignment". NASA. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Better Late Than Never: New ISS Crew Prepares to Fly, All-Female EVAs Possible in October". www.americaspace.com. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Russian cosmonaut sets new record for most total time in space — more than 878 days". ABC. 4 February 2024. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.