Tag: Soyuz-MS

A Russian Soyuz capsule safely returned three astronauts to Earth this morning.

This completes the second flight of the Soyuz-MS upgraded capsule.

The new MS series sports more efficient solar panels, a new Kurs NA approach and docking system weighing less than half that of its predecessor, additional micro-meteoroid debris shielding, and a modified docking and attitude control engine – which will add redundancy during docking and deorbit burns.

The Russians revealed today that the reason they are delaying Friday’s manned Soyuz mission is because they detected a short circuit in the Soyuz capsule during a test.

One more detail that needs mention: This will only be the second manned flight of this version of the Soyuz capsule, officially dubbed Soyuz-MS.

The competition heats up: An upgraded manned capsule, dubbed Soyuz-MS, successfully reached orbit today, carrying a new three person crew to ISS.

As part of the vehicle’s checkout during its first manned flight they have decided to fly it on the older two-day rendezvous approach rather than the fast six hour route.