Success
Soyuz MS-18
Human Exploration
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)(RFSA)Government
Soyuz 2.1a
LEOorbit
Soyuz MS-18 begins expedition 65 by carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, they will rendezvous to the station where they will remain for their 6 month stay.
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 7:42 AM
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Mission details
The International Space Station programme is tied together by a complex set of legal, political and financial agreements between the sixteen nations involved in the project, governing ownership of the various components, rights to crewing and utilization, and responsibilities for crew rotation and resupply of the International Space Station. It was conceived in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, during the Space Station Freedom project as it was originally called.
Nov 20, 1998 — ongoing
The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s. The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. It was the third Soviet human spaceflight programme after the Vostok and Voskhod programmes.
Nov 28, 1966 — ongoing
Orbital Attempt
#6,067
RFSA Mission
#295
Pad Launch
#391
Location Launch
#1,519
Designator
2021-029
Launch Window
NET
Apr 9, 2021, 7:42 AM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Soyuz 2.1a Specs
The Soyuz 2.1A converted the flight control system from analog to digital, which allowed launch from fixed platforms. It also allowed big fairings and payloads. It is currently used for crewed Soyuz and Progress flights to the ISS.
Length
46.3 m
Diameter
2.95 m
Launch Mass
312 t
Thrust
4,149 kN
LEO Capacity
7,020 kg
GTO Capacity
2,810 kg
SSO Capacity
4,230 kg
Launch Cost
$80M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
2004
Fastest Turnaround
7d 6h
Total Launches
57
Successful
56
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
50
Maiden flight: Nov 4, 2004
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)
The Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, commonly known as Roscosmos, is the governmental body responsible for the space science program of the Russian Federation and general aerospace research. Soyuz has many launch locations the Russian sites are Baikonur, Plesetsk and Vostochny however Ariane also purchases the vehicle and launches it from French Guiana.
Founded
1992
Administrator
Administrator: Yuri Borisov
Total Launches
341
Successful
330
Failed
11
Pending
3
Consecutive Success
65
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Located in the Kazakh city of Baikonur, it is the largest operational space launch facility in terms of area. All Russian crewed spaceflights are launched from Baikonur.
Timezone
Asia/Qyzylorda
Local Launch Time
Apr 9, 2021, 12:42 PM
Total Launches
1,563
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
45.9650, 63.3050