posted 09-17-2016 10:13 AM               

Technical issue delays launch of Soyuz MS-02

Roscosmos on Saturday (Sept. 17) announced it was postponing the launch of the next Soyuz crew to the International Space Station due to a technical problem.

"Roscosmos decided to postpone the planned Sept. 23, 2016 launch of the spacecraft Soyuz MS-02 for technical reasons after routine tests at the Baikonur Cosmodrome," the federal space agency stated on its website.

Cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko, together with NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, had been in final preparations at the Baikonaur Cosmodrome for their launch on Friday.

Roscosmos said a new launch date will be announced later.

posted 10-06-2016 01:18 PM               

Soyuz MS-02 launch reset for Oct. 19

Roscosmos has reset the launch of Soyuz MS-02 to the International Space Station for Oct. 19 after verifying repairs to the spacecraft.

"After reviewing the documents on operations that were carried out to repair the technical malfunction... the State Commission resolved that the space ship may be launched to the International Space Station," Russian federal space agency officials said in a statement.

RSC Energia, the contractor that builds and assembles the Soyuz for Roscosmos, determined the issue to be control equipment that had been activated by a landing system cable that was jammed during a test. After the cable malfunction was fixed, engineers ran a full trial of the ship's systems.

Based on the results of the trial, the State Commission scheduled the launch of Soyuz MS-02 for Oct. 19 at 3:05 a.m. CDT (0805 GMT).

posted 10-17-2016 02:39 PM               

October 16, 2016, launch vehicle "Soyuz-FG" with transport manned spacecraft "Soyuz MS-02" taken out to the launch site Baikonur Cosmodrome number 31 and installed in the launcher.

Launch scheduled for Oct. 19, 2016 at 11:05 MSK (3:05 a.m. CDT; 0805 GMT).

posted 10-18-2016 12:05 AM               

Russia's next-gen spacecraft 'Federatsiya' making first flight as zero-g toy

Russia is set to launch the second in its new line of Soyuz crewed spacecraft to the International Space Station and, at the same time, mark the first flight of its next-generation space vehicle — albeit in miniature.

Soyuz MS-02 is scheduled to launch Wednesday (Oct. 19) at 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT or 2:05 p.m. local time) from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Flying on board the vehicle for their two-day trip to the space station will be Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough.

Hanging over their heads, suspended by a red, white and blue ribbon, will be a small model of Russia's new piloted transport spaceship, which Roscosmos, the nation's space agency, plans as a replacement for the Soyuz.

posted 10-19-2016 03:40 AM               

Soyuz MS-02 launches three-man crew for space station's 50th expedition

Two Russian cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut are now on their way to the International Space Station, where they will begin the outpost's 50th expedition a week after they arrive.

Cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko and astronaut Shane Kimbrough lifted off Wednesday (Oct. 19) on board Russia's Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft on a two-day rendezvous with the station. Their launch at 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT; 2:05 p.m. local time) came atop a Soyuz FG rocket from Site 31/6 at Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

posted 10-21-2016 08:53 AM               

Soyuz MS-02 docks to space station

Russia's Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft docked to the Poisk module at the International Space Station Friday (Oct. 21) at 4:52 a.m. CDT (0952 GMT) as the vehicles were 251 miles above the Earth, over southern Russia.

posted 04-10-2017 02:59 AM               

Soyuz MS-02 undocks from space station

After 171 days on board the International Space Station, cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko of Roscosmos and astronaut Shane Kimbrough of NASA undocked their Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft from the Poisk module on Monday (April 10) at 2:57 a.m. CDT (0757 GMT), beginning their return to Earth.

The Soyuz will perform a 4-minute, 38-second deorbit burn at 5:28 a.m. CDT (1028 GMT). The crew is scheduled to touch down at 6:21 a.m. CDT (1121 GMT) southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

posted 04-10-2017 06:22 AM               

Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft lands from space station with 50th expedition crew

The 50th person to command a crew on the International Space Station is now back on the Earth, a day after handing off control to the first woman to helm the orbiting outpost twice.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who led Expedition 50, landed with Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko of the Russian federal space corporation Roscosmos aboard the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft on Monday (April 10). The three crewmates departed the space station after spending more than 173 days in orbit (171 days on the space station).