Soyuz MS

Mission Profile

Soyuz MS is the current production variant of Russia's long-running Soyuz crewed spacecraft family, featuring modernized digital avionics, a new rendezvous and docking system, improved life support, and upgraded propulsion for extended free-flight duration. First launched on 7 July 2016 from Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, it is the primary crew transport vehicle for the International Space Station carrying three crew members on approximately six-month rotation missions. Soyuz MS introduced compatibility with both the Soyuz-FG and more modern Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicles, improving crew safety margins. It represents the latest evolution of a spacecraft lineage dating back to the 1960s that has carried more humans to space than any other vehicle in history.