Astronauts to make quickest trip ever to ISS in Decemberhttp://tass.com/science/967087QuoteThe first launch of a Soyuz spacecraft on a new two-orbit flight scheme in which it will orbit Earth two times en route to the ISS, is scheduled for December 2017, a source from the aerospace sector told TASS on Friday.QuotePrior to that, the new scheme will be tested on a Progress cargo craft, the source said. The Roscosmos Space Corporation said "the decision on the launch of a Soyuz manned spacecraft will be made only after the flight of a Progress under a shortened scheme has been analyzed".Under the new scheme, the spacecraft will make two circumnavigations of the globe, which will take three hours. Currently, spacecraft get to the ISS after four orbits, the flight taking six hours.From NASA TV ScheduleOctober 12 - Progress 68 Launch time is scheduled at 5:32 a.m. ET October 12 - Docking is scheduled at 8:56 a.m. ETIt takes 3 hours 24 min
The first launch of a Soyuz spacecraft on a new two-orbit flight scheme in which it will orbit Earth two times en route to the ISS, is scheduled for December 2017, a source from the aerospace sector told TASS on Friday.
Prior to that, the new scheme will be tested on a Progress cargo craft, the source said. The Roscosmos Space Corporation said "the decision on the launch of a Soyuz manned spacecraft will be made only after the flight of a Progress under a shortened scheme has been analyzed".Under the new scheme, the spacecraft will make two circumnavigations of the globe, which will take three hours. Currently, spacecraft get to the ISS after four orbits, the flight taking six hours.
Why the reversion from 6-hour rendezvous to 2-day rendezvous?
Do you know when the 3-hour rendezvous would be implemented on a Soyuz flight to ISS?
It depends on results of testing new rendezvous scheme by Progress MS-07. The situation is very fluid, even new rendezvous scheme is not yet authorized by Roskosmos for Progress MS-07. So it can be Soyuz MS-08 or it can be Soyuz MS-12.
and the 53S launch and docking (12/17/17)