image credit NASA/Bill Ingalls
The Soyuz 2.1a rocket represents a significant advancement in space technology and exploration. As part of Russia's renowned Soyuz rocket family, the Soyuz 2.1a variant has been designed to enhance reliability and payload capacity, making it a workhorse for missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and beyond.
Mission Overview
The upcoming Soyuz MS-25 mission, scheduled for launch on March 21, 2024, is set to carry three crew members to the ISS aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. The mission will lift off from Launch Complex 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, marking the 75th launch of a Soyuz 2.1a rocket, 2nd launch of 2024 and the 156th launch of a Soyuz spacecraft overall.
Crew and Mission Objectives
The Soyuz MS-25 crew consists of Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, Belarusian cosmonaut Vasilevskaya, and US astronaut Caldwell-Dyson. They are expected to join Expedition 70's members already on the station. The backup crew includes Russian cosmonaut Vagner and Belarusian cosmonaut Lenkova.
Commander Oleg Novitsky
Oleg Novitsky is a seasoned cosmonaut with over 700 hours of flight time. His expertise in piloting aircraft such as the L-39 and Su-25, along with his qualifications as a paratroop instructor and military diver, make him an invaluable asset to the mission. Novitsky has participated in multiple space expeditions, accumulating more than 531 days in space as a Russian cosmonaut with Roscosmos.
Flight Engineer Marina Vasilevskaya
Marina Vitalyevna Vasilevskaya is a flight attendant for Belavia Airlines in Belarus. In December 2022, she was selected as one of the six applicants out of thousands to participate in the “Belarusian Woman in Space” project. Marina will become the first woman from this country to orbit the Earth, taking part on a short-duration mission to the ISS aboard the Soyuz MS-25 mission. She will spend approximately 12 days on the ISS before returning to Earth with Novitsky and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara on the Soyuz MS-24 ship.
Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell-Dyson
Tracy Caldwell-Dyson is an US chemist and NASA astronaut with a background in athletics and a passion for science. Her expertise lies in atmospheric chemistry, where she conducted groundbreaking research on surface reactivity and kinetics of metal surfaces.
As an astronaut, Caldwell-Dyson has participated in multiple space missions, including being a mission specialist on a mission and serving on the ISS in two previous Expeditions. She has three spacewalks under her belt and over 22 hours of extravehicular activity. She will be a crew member on the orbital laboratory, ISS for six months.
Technical Specifications
Roscosmos’s Soyuz is a multi-use medium-lift launch vehicle that was introduced in 1966 and since then has been the workhorse of the Soviet/Russian space program. It is capable of launching civilian and military satellites, as well as cargo and crewed missions to the ISS. Over the decades, several variants of the Soyuz rocket have been developed. Soyuz 2.1a is one of its latest iterations that belongs to the Soyuz 2 rocket family.
The Soyuz 2.1a rocket stands at approximately 46.3 meters in height and 2.95 meters in diameter. Its total liftoff mass is around 312,000 kilograms, capable of carrying a payload mass of roughly 7,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit (LEO).
Launch and Deployment
Upon successful liftoff, the Soyuz spacecraft will embark on a three-hour journey to the ISS, docking to the UM Prichal module in the Russian section of the station. The precise docking time is expected to be at 16:39:42 UTC, with the hatch opening scheduled for around 20:00 UTC.
This mission is not just a routine trip to the ISS but a testament to the enduring legacy of the Soyuz program and its pivotal role in international space collaboration. As we look forward to the successful launch of Soyuz MS-25, we are reminded of the boundless potential of human ingenuity and the spirit of exploration that propels us into the cosmos.
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