Human Spaceflights

International Flight No. 328

Soyuz MS-20

Altair

Russia

Russia
Patch Soyuz MS-20 Patch Soyuz MS-20

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Launch, orbit and landing data

Launch date:  08.12.2021
Launch time:  07:38:15.584 UTC
Launch site:  Baikonur
Launch pad:  31
Altitude:  400 km
Inclination:  51.66°
Docking ISS:  08.12.2021, 13:40:42 UTC
Undocking ISS:  19.12.2021, 23:50:25 UTC
Landing date:  20.12.2021
Landing time:  03:12:52.7 UTC
Landing site:  47°21' N, 69°37' E

walkout photo

Crew Soyuz MS-20

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alternative crew photo

alternative crew photo

alternative crew photo

alternative crew photo

alternative crew photo

Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position Flight No. Duration Orbits
1  Misurkin  Aleksandr Aleksandrovich  Commander 3 11d 19h 34m 37s  189 
2 Japan  Maezawa  Yusaku  UKP 1 11d 19h 34m 37s  189 
3 Japan  Hirano  Yozo  UKP 1 11d 19h 34m 37s  189 

Crew seating arrangement

Launch
1  Misurkin
2  Maezawa
3  Hirano
Soyuz MS spacecraft
Landing
1  Misurkin
2  Maezawa
3  Hirano

Backup Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position
1  Skvortsov  Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Jr.  Commander
2 Japan  Ogiso  Shun  UKP
only for the final exams a third crewmember was added
   Fedyayev  Andrei Valereivich  
Crew Soyuz MS-20 (backup)
Patch Soyuz MS-20 (backup)

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Crew Soyuz MS-20 (backup plus Andrei Fedyayev)

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Hardware

Launch vehicle:  Soyuz-2.1a (No. S15000-053)
Spacecraft:  Soyuz MS-20 (MS No. 752)

Flight

Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Landing 151 km southeast of Dzheskasgan.

Following an only six hours solo flight the visting crew docked with the International Space Station on December 08, 2021 at 13:40:42 UTC.

The Soyuz spacecraft is composed of three elements attached end-to-end - the Orbital Module, the Descent Module and the Instrumentation/Propulsion Module. The crew occupied the central element, the Descent Module. The other two modules are jettisoned prior to re-entry. They burn up in the atmosphere, so only the Descent Module returned to Earth.
The deorbit burn lasted 320 seconds. Having shed two-thirds of its mass, the Soyuz reached Entry Interface - a point 400,000 feet (121.9 kilometers) above the Earth, where friction due to the thickening atmosphere began to heat its outer surfaces. With only 23 minutes left before it lands on the grassy plains of central Asia, attention in the module turned to slowing its rate of descent.
Eight minutes later, the spacecraft was streaking through the sky at a rate of 755 feet (230 meters) per second. Before it touched down, its speed slowed to only 5 feet (1.5 meter) per second, and it lands at an even lower speed than that. Several onboard features ensure that the vehicle and crew land safely and in relative comfort.
Four parachutes, deployed 15 minutes before landing, dramatically slowed the vehicle's rate of descent. Two pilot parachutes were the first to be released, and a drogue chute attached to the second one followed immediately after. The drogue, measuring 24 square meters (258 square feet) in area, slowed the rate of descent from 755 feet (230 meters) per second to 262 feet (80 meters) per second.
The main parachute was the last to emerge. It is the largest chute, with a surface area of 10,764 square feet (1,000 square meters). Its harnesses shifted the vehicle's attitude to a 30-degree angle relative to the ground, dissipating heat, and then shifted it again to a straight vertical descent prior to landing.
The main chute slowed the Soyuz to a descent rate of only 24 feet (7.3 meters) per second, which is still too fast for a comfortable landing. One second before touchdown, two sets of three small engines on the bottom of the vehicle fired, slowing the vehicle to soften the landing.

Graphics

Soyuz MS Soyuz MS
Soyuz MS Soyuz MS-20 rollout
Soyuz MS-20 erection Soyuz MS-20 launch
Soyuz MS-20 recovery  

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Last update on May 22, 2024.

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