Soyuz-2.1a - Soyuz MS-29 - 14 July 2026 (TBD UTC)

[SMS]

Here is its crew portrait:

Space Shuttle Almanac @ShuttleAlmanac

Soyuz-MS29 crew due for summer next year have begun training at Johnson Space Center. Crew includes Dubrov, Kikina and @astro_anil

https://twitter.com/ShuttleAlmanac/status/1952883068903276643

[SMS]

Current training crews for future Russian space flights according to the Gagarin Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Center (https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=155):

ISS-75/Soyuz MS-29 backup crew: Dmitriy Petelin, Konstantin Borisov and Deniz Burnham (not approved yet)!

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=7251
GT:
Space menu: how is it made up and what do astronauts eat on the ISS?
| Astronauts
August 13, 2025

“I am what I eat” – this statement is attributed to both the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates and the equally famous philosopher Socrates. Whoever the author of this maxim was, its validity has been confirmed by time: proper, varied nutrition is the key to health. This is especially true for astronauts, whose work in orbit involves significant physical, mental and emotional costs.

The ISS has an international team, so cosmonauts and astronauts have the opportunity to try and compare different diets.

What does the Russian space menu consist of? Basically, it's canned and freeze-dried food. Sublimation involves removing moisture from freshly frozen food in a vacuum. The technology allows preserving nutrients, microelements, vitamins, and even natural smell and taste. Ready meals are stored in vacuum bags, to which astronauts add hot or cold water.

The standard onboard ration includes about 200 food and drink items. They are used to create a menu for 16 days. The set for each day is designed to maintain the optimal ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins, while the dishes alternate with a certain frequency so that you don’t get bored.

Each cosmonaut is entitled to additional food sets, which crew members make up from their favorite dishes that they tried during the tasting. Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina are undergoing training as part of the crew and have the opportunity to create their ideal menu by trying different foods and giving ratings. 10 points – a super dish, 8–9 – tasty, 1–2 points are given to products that were not liked. But low scores are rarely given, since experts remove from the menu dishes that are not in demand among astronauts.

"I prefer, mainly, our Russian food. It is more delicious, familiar, understandable and desirable for me. What does not attract me in American food? There are many sauces added to different dishes. To me, the sauce has a strong flavor that overpowers the natural flavor of the food. And they have quite a bit of heat.

But among American dishes there are some that we don't have. For example, freeze-dried shrimp. Or a whole piece of meat in a sealed package: good, tasty meat. We really loved eating it in combination with our side dishes. A Japanese colleague once gave me liver pate, and I ate it with pleasure.

And foreign colleagues love cottage cheese, many have noted this. We tried to treat them to jelly, but this drink "didn't go down well" with them, it's an unusual food for them," Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina shared her impressions.

Fresh fruits and vegetables also add variety to the ISS crew's diet. But such delicacies appear on the table infrequently - only when a cargo ship arrives. Perishable products are excluded. A few oranges, apples, lemons, grapefruits, onions and garlic (the latter subject to the consent of the entire crew) may be sent on board.

"You don't get tired of our food: the menu includes a variety of canned goods, as well as freeze-dried food in bags. Personally, I didn't miss the food on board, I missed tea from a mug, not from a bag. And there were enough different products," said Anna Kikina.

[Satori]

From Roscosmos Telegram:

The Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft has arrived at Baikonur.

Prior to this, the spacecraft underwent a series of checks of its onboard systems, service equipment, and hardware at the Energia Corporation.

At the cosmodrome, the Soyuz was inspected and the solar array deployment mechanism was tested.

The manned spacecraft is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2026.

[Satori]

Other photos from the Soyuz MS-29 arrival to Baykonur (from RKK Energia Telegram).

[Alter Sachse]

No. 759

[TJL]

(Prior to Soyuz MS-28 launch) Soyuz MS-29 crew is seen standing on structure that may very well delay their launch to the ISS.