Soyuz MS-26, Russian production No. 757 and identified by NASA as Soyuz 72S, is a Russian crewed Soyuz spaceflight launched from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 11 September 2024 to the International Space Station.[3][4][5] The mission transported three crew members, Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, along with NASA astronaut Donald Pettit.

Soyuz MS-26
Soyuz MS-26 approaches the International Space Station
NamesISS 72S
Mission typeISS crew transport
OperatorRoscosmos
COSPAR ID2024-162A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.61043Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration108 days, 12 hours and 58 minutes (in progress)
180 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz MS-26 No. 757
Spacecraft typeSoyuz MS
ManufacturerEnergia
Launch mass7,152 kg (15,767 lb)[1]
Crew
Crew size3
Members
CallsignBurlak
ExpeditionExpedition 71/72
Start of mission
Launch date11 September 2024, 16:23:12 (11 September 2024, 16:23:12) UTC (21:23:12 AQTT)
RocketSoyuz-2.1a No. M15000-070[1]
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31/6
ContractorRKTs Progress
End of mission
Landing dateMarch 2025 (planned)
Landing siteKazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portRassvet nadir
Docking date11 September 2024, 19:32:09 UTC
Undocking dateMarch 2025 (planned)
Time docked108 days, 9 hours and 49 minutes (in progress)

Mission patch, which depicts the three crew members as Burlak (the mission's callsign) pulling the Soyuz[2]

From left: Vagner, Ovchinin and Pettit

When the spacecraft crossed the Karman line shortly after launch, there were a record 19 people in outer space: the three astronauts on the MS-26 mission, three more on China's Tiangong space station, four people on the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, and nine more on board the International Space Station.[6]

Crew

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Prime crew
Position[7] Crew
Commander   Aleksey Ovchinin, Roscosmos
Expedition 71/72
Third[a] spaceflight
Flight Engineer   Ivan Vagner, Roscosmos
Expedition 71/72
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer   Donald Pettit, NASA
Expedition 71/72
Fourth spaceflight
Backup crew
Position Crew
Commander   Sergey Ryzhikov, Roscosmos
Pilot   Alexey Zubritsky, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer   Jonny Kim, NASA
 
Soyuz MS-26 atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket shortly after it was erected at Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome

Notes

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  1. ^ Not counting the aborted flight of Soyuz MS-10.

References

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  1. ^ a b Zak, Anatoly (11 September 2024). "Soyuz MS-26 lifts off". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  2. ^ "NASA's oldest active astronaut launches on 'next flight' on Soyuz MS-26". collectSPACE. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  3. ^ Zak, Anatoly (25 March 2024). "Space exploration in 2024". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Better Late Than Never: New ISS Crew Prepares to Fly, All-Female EVAs Possible in October – AmericaSpace". www.americaspace.com. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Госкорпорация «Роскосмос»". Telegram. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  6. ^ "NASA's oldest active astronaut launches on 'next flight' aboard Soyuz". CollectSpace.com. 11 September 2024.
  7. ^ Donaldson, Abbey A. (27 March 2024). "NASA Astronaut Don Pettit to Conduct Science During Fourth Mission". NASA.
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