Soyuz MS: spacecraft history, specs and record
Soyuz is a series of spacecraft designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau (now RKK Energia) in the 1960s that remains in service today. The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraft and was originally built as part of the Soviet Manned Lunar programme. The Soyuz spacecraft is launched on a Soyuz rocket, the most frequently used and most reliable launch vehicle in the world to date. The Soyuz rocket design is based on the Vostok launcher, which in turn was based on the 8K74 or R-7A Semyorka, a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile. All Soyuz spacecraft are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Record
29 launches, 29 built and flown.
At a glance
- Type: Capsule
- Built by: Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)
- Status: In use
- Crew: Up to 3
- First flight: 2016-07-07
- Height: 7.48 m
- Diameter: 2.72 m
History
Soyuz MS is the final planned upgrade of the Soyuz spacecraft. Major changes include: - more efficient solar panels - modified engine positions for redundancy - new Kurs NA approach and docking system - new TsVM-101 computer - unified digital command/telemetry system (MBITS) to relay telemetry via satellite, and control spacecraft when out of sight of ground stations - GLONASS/GPS and Cospas-Sarsat satellite systems for more accurate location afterlanding