Soyuz-2.1a - Soyuz MS-28 - 27 November 2025 (07:26 UTC)

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=7303
GT:
Spacewalk "Rehearsal"
| Crews
September 24, 2025

Every cosmonaut traveling to the International Space Station must be able to use the Orlan ISS extravehicular activity suit, service it before and after spacewalks, and store it.  Therefore, crew members undergo thorough preparation for work outside the station on Earth. At the Cosmonaut Training Center, they acquire the necessary skills using the specialized "Vykhod-2" simulator.

Recently, Russian ISS-74 prime crew members Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev practiced operating the airlock and exit systems from the docking compartment of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. They completed spacesuit preparation procedures for extravehicular activity (EVA) and the airlock sequence diagram.

During each training session, the instructor team simulates emergency situations that must be addressed in accordance with the onboard instructions. These malfunctions may be related to issues that arose during the airlock, such as leaks in hatches and compartments, spacesuits, or fan and pump failures. The crew may also encounter a radio communication system failure.

Following preparation for work outside the station, a test training session is held to evaluate acquired skills, after which the cosmonauts are granted permission to independently operate the equipment.

Previously, ISS-74 backup crew members Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina performed the same tasks. According to the Center's instructors, the cosmonauts demonstrated excellent extravehicular activity skills and successfully completed all assigned tasks.

Here is a link to associated video: https://rutube.ru/video/51e4a07b9e1d96d73ad5c29d6c301475/?r=plemwd
Preparing for a spacewalk

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A few more photo's from above source:

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A few more photo's from above source:

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A few more photo's from above source:

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A few more photo's from above source:

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NASA Astronaut Chris Williams to Discuss Upcoming Launch, Mission

Tiernan P. Doyle
SEP 25, 2025

NASA will host a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 1, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight the upcoming mission of astronaut Chris Williams to the International Space Station.

The news conference will stream live on NASA’s website and YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, targeted to launch Nov. 27 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, will carry Williams on his first flight, as well as Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev of Roscosmos, to the space station for an eight-month mission as part of Expeditions 73/74.

Media interested in participating must contact the newsroom at NASA Johnson no later than 5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 29, at 281-483-5111 or [email protected]. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. Media interested in participating by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom by 10 a.m. the day of the event.

Selected as a candidate in 2021, Williams graduated with the 23rd astronaut class in 2024. He began training for his first space station flight assignment immediately after completing initial astronaut candidate training.

Williams was born in New York City, and considers Potomac, Maryland, his hometown. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Stanford University in California and a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, where his research focused on astrophysics. Williams completed medical physics residency training at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He was working as a clinical physicist and researcher at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston when he was selected as an astronaut candidate.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation enabling research not possible on Earth. For nearly 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, where astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in human exploration at the Moon under the Artemis campaign and Mars.

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-chris-williams-to-discuss-upcoming-launch-mission/?linkId=863723408

NASA astronaut Chris Williams poses for an official portrait at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Credit: NASA

[ddspaceman]

The Space Pirate🏴‍☠️🥷🏻🚀
@TheSpacePirateX
#SoyuzMS28 🛰️ is preparing for launch this November with the crew of 74th long-duration expedition to the ISS. The spacecraft has passed crucial radio system tests in Baikonur’s giant anechoic chamber, including the Kurs-NA system that ensures automatic docking. The chamber also tests crew voice comms, video systems, and telemetry links with Mission Control.

https://twitter.com/TheSpacePirateX/status/1973778158722929021

[ddspaceman]

afec7032 🇷🇺
@robert_savitsky
Soyuz MS-28 has completed the testing in anechoic chamber, which is used to test spacecraft's radio equipment. After that, the spacecraft was placed into the usual workplace for further preparations and tests.

The launch is scheduled for November 27th.

https://twitter.com/robert_savitsky/status/1974035434175877379

[ddspaceman]

Excellent approach: the examination session for the ISS-74 prime and backup crews began with practicing manual control modes.
| Crews
October 2, 2025
GT:

On October 2, 2025, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev (ISS-74 prime crew) began their exams. Today, using the Don-Soyuz simulator, they demonstrated to the examination committee their skills in manually rendezvousing a crewed transport spacecraft (CTS) with the International Space Station (ISS).

Cosmonauts take exams using their tickets. Each ticket contains modes for controlling the standard automatic rendezvous of the spacecraft with the ISS, as well as emergency situations that could lead to aborted rendezvous and a switch to manual rendezvous control.

Therefore, during the examination training, the crew's task is to recognize abnormal situations, report them to the Mission Control Center (there may be a failure of the on-board computer system (BCS) or a failure of the Kurs radio-technical system), and switch to manual control mode.

“This situation can only arise if we are performing a two-day approach to the station, and it serves as a backup so that the crew can, in any case, approach the ISS and then berth and dock, even in the event of a complete failure of the automatic systems. The operation is performed by two crew members: the flight engineer is in the habitation module, and the commander is in the descent module. Their interaction is crucial during this exam. The flight engineer communicates the necessary parameters for the rendezvous, and the commander, having received the range and speed information, controls the spacecraft," Sergei Kud-Sverchkov explained.

To determine the parameters of the spacecraft's motion, the flight engineer uses two instruments: the LDI (laser pulse rangefinder), designed to determine the spacecraft's distance from the ISS, and the coordinate calculation unit (CCU), which determines the speed of the spacecraft.

During the manual approach modes of the TPK to the station, the commander regulates the speed in the longitudinal channel and dampens the lateral speed, and also maintains the orientation of the ship relative to the ISS. After completing the rendezvous, the spacecraft performs a flyby of the transport capsule to the docking port specified in the examination ticket. The flyby occurs at a range of 250 to 160 meters. It then makes a bank turn and hovers opposite the desired docking port.

When performing manual approach, the crew performs actions in accordance with the on-board instructions and the requirements of the manual control technique.

"The examination committee evaluates compliance with the longitudinal speed control law, how accurately the crew identified the emergency situation and handled it in accordance with the onboard documentation. Fuel consumption and the time spent performing the modes, as well as hovering parameters such as range and accuracy, are also taken into account,” said Andrey Savintsev, head of the 1st Directorate Laboratory of the Cosmonaut Training Center.

The crew's level of preparedness was assessed by an examination committee consisting of specialists from the Cosmonaut Training Center and RSC Energia. For their professional and coordinated work, they awarded cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev excellent marks.

On the eve, October 1, 2025, the examination session began for the ISS-74 backup crew, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. They also took the station rendezvous exam, completing four manual rendezvous maneuvers as required by their exam paper. The cosmonauts completed the task, demonstrated a high level of interaction, and earned a well-deserved 5.

[ddspaceman]

The ISS-74 prime and backup crews practiced atmospheric composition monitoring using the advanced scientific equipment "Gas Analyzer FS"
| Crews
October 3, 2025
GT:

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikayev, Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina (the prime and backup crews of ISS-74) are preparing to conduct space experiments under the Russian scientific program.

Under the guidance of Olga Lukyanova, a leading cosmonaut training specialist at the Cosmonaut Training Center's Science Directorate, they completed practical training on developing a methodology for monitoring the atmospheric composition in the habitable compartments of the Russian Segment (RS) of the ISS.

To carry out this work, the space experiment’s director, RSC Energia, created the advanced scientific equipment “Gas Analyzer-FS”.  It is based on the Globar Fourier spectrometer (designed for measurements and scientific research in the mid-infrared spectrum), as well as oxygen and hydrogen sensors. The new device is needed for automatic monitoring of the main atmospheric components and gas impurities that arise during fires and other emergency situations in the habitable compartments of the ISS RS.

While working on board the station, cosmonauts will take turns installing equipment in the service module (SM), small research modules MRM1 and MRM2, and the multifunctional laboratory module (MLM) to collect and transmit the necessary data to Earth.

During the experiment, the cosmonauts should, if possible, combine data collection with atmospheric sampling work on the ISS RS (once a month) and conduct it in the same places.

The gas composition of the atmosphere on the ISS RS is monitored automatically using gas analysis equipment. Advanced equipment offers higher measurement accuracy, allows for better differentiation between gases with similar properties, and has a wider spectrum and range of values ​​for measuring trace impurity concentrations.

"Compared to the equipment currently on board, this is next-level equipment, allowing us to record a large number of different parameters and substances, even those that we don't initially identify. This device also has higher accuracy, is quite easy to operate, and can be updated with software both from Earth and by the crew. "In general, there are quite a lot of new interesting functions, which, I think, could be useful in the future both on our new station, and perhaps this device will be put into regular operation on the ISS," Pyotr Dubrov shared his impressions of working with the new equipment.

The "FS Gas Analyzer" space experiment is a new one. This equipment is expected to replace the current equipment onboard the ISS RS. Experts will also consider its feasibility for use on future space stations and manned transport vehicles.

[ddspaceman]

Anatoly Zak
@RussianSpaceWeb
Active campaign started in Baikonur for the Soyuz MS-28 crew vehicle launch to the ISS, scheduled for November 27.
Details: https://russianspaceweb.com/2025.html#soyuz_ms28

https://twitter.com/RussianSpaceWeb/status/1974113527117066456

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=7322
GT:

The ISS-74 crew successfully completed the manual berthing and docking test.
| Crews
October 7, 2025

The examination session for the main and backup crews of ISS-74 continues. The Russian members of the upcoming expedition, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev (prime crew), and their backups, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, passed exams on the manual berthing and redocking of the manned transport spacecraft (MTS) to the International Space Station. The exam training took place on the Don-Soyuz simulator.

On October 6, 2025, the prime crew of ISS-74, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, each drew an examination ticket, each specifying four modes. The cosmonauts took turns performing tasks as the spacecraft commander and flight engineer, but encountered various emergency situations as specified in their tickets.

In real space flight conditions, the launch and docking of the TPK occurs automatically. Only if the control fails due to an emergency does the crew switch to manual control of the spacecraft. The only mode that the cosmonauts always perform manually is redocking, when, in a technical emergency, it is necessary to release the docking port and transfer the spacecraft to another station.

But even during this routine operation, an emergency can occur. For example, during an examination training session, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev encountered a malfunction of the VSK-4 optical-visual device (the cosmonaut's special viewfinder). Due to the failure to move the sighting device from the "Orient" position to the "Berth" position, the crew was unable to control the ship using the VSK screen, so the cosmonauts performed the re-docking using the image from the external television camera and the electronic mask-grid of the television camera.

During the second mode, the automatic mode was disrupted during the docking phase due to a failure in the navigation system – the image of the station disappeared from the crew’s field of view. Following onboard instructions, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev switched to manual control, restored the ship's orientation relative to the station, and continued the docking operation.

Unusual situations can also occur during the automatic orbital flight of the station. During the examination training, a digital computer malfunction occurred during this mode. In this case, the onboard instructions instructed the cosmonauts to switch to manual control in the analog circuit. The crew accomplished this task, performing a flyby and then docking in analog mode.

The task of the fourth mode of examination tickets – ensuring the safety of the ship and the station – is one of the most difficult during the training.

“According to the scenario of this mode, it was impossible for us to transfer the station from its orbital orientation to its current position, that is, docking occurs while the station is rotating in its orbital orientation. This complicates the conditions for manual docking for the crew: they must constantly compensate for the ship's speed, "catch up" with the station, and ensure the ship's rotation speed, just like the ISS. "Before docking, it's necessary to ensure the spacecraft's motion parameters are safe: speed, rotation, angles, and overshoot—all these parameters must be within the prescribed permissible limits. The crew accomplished this task and performed this task perfectly," said Andrey Savintsev, head of the Cosmonaut Training Center's 1st Laboratory.

The performance of Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev was assessed by an examination committee consisting of specialists from the Cosmonaut Training Center and RSC Energia. They gave both the commander and the flight engineer excellent marks.

On Friday, October 3, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina took the manual berthing and docking exam. The training procedure was identical: each crew's exam paper contained four different modes, including various emergency situations. This crew also performed well, receiving a well-deserved "A" from the commission.

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A few more pictures from the above source:

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The Space Pirate🏴‍☠️🥷🏻🚀
@TheSpacePirateX
🇷🇺 Roscosmos cosmonauts 👨🏻‍🚀Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and 👨🏻‍🚀Sergey Mikayev of ISS-74 completed qualification training on the "Vykhod-2" simulator, practicing full EVA operations with "Orlan" suits at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

https://twitter.com/TheSpacePirateX/status/1978137303341035987

[Satori]

According to a post (October 21) on Roscosmos Telegram account, the Russian crew members of Soyuz MS-28 were declared fit for flight.

[Satori]

The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft was placed inside the vacuum chamber for leak testing on October 22.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket for the manned mission also arrived at the cosmodrome – Roscosmos specialists accepted the train carrying the rocket components and the assembly and protection unit for the spacecraft.

[Satori]

While inside the vacuum chamber, and using a helium-air mixture, RKK Energia specialists will test all compartments, tanks, and communications systems to ensure there are no microcracks.

Images: RKK Energia

[Satori]

According to a information posted on Roscosmos Telegram, the Soyuz MS-28 has completed its pressurization tests at Baikonur without any problems detected.

[Satori]

A few more pictures from RKK Energia Telegram account.

[Targeteer]

https://russianspaceweb.com/soyuz-ms-28.html

Roskosmos swaps ships for the Soyuz MS-28 mission

The early in the launch campaign for Expedition 74 to the International Space Station, ISS, program managers had to replace the Soyuz vehicle originally assigned to the flight, likely due to the damage inflicted on the ship's critical thermal shield during a botched test.