# Soyuz MS & Progress MS by Roscosmos Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/soyuz-ms Frontier: [Spaceflight](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight.md) · Field: Crew & cargo vehicles · Company: [Roscosmos](https://technooptimist.io/companies/roscosmos.md) Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2026-07-14, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: Keep Russia's half of the ISS crewed and supplied: fly three-person crews to the station and back, and deliver food, water and rocket fuel that keep the station in its orbit. Status: Soyuz MS-29 crew on the ISS since July 2026, landing April 2027; three more Soyuz MS on order. Next milestone: Soyuz MS-29 crew lands after about 261 days, target 1 Apr 2027 ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | Soyuz MS-01, first flight of the MS version | 7 Jul 2016 | | | Done | Soyuz MS-10 booster failure; escape system saves crew | Oct 2018 | | | Done | Soyuz MS-28 launch wrecks a platform at Russia's only crew pad | 27 Nov 2025 | | | Done | Progress MS-33 first launch from the repaired pad | 22 Mar 2026 | +3 mo (originally Dec 2025) | | Done | Soyuz MS-29 launches Dubrov, Kikina and NASA's Menon | 14 Jul 2026 | | | Current | Soyuz MS-29 crew lands after about 261 days | 1 Apr 2027 | | | Planned | Soyuz MS-30 to MS-32 rotate ISS crews | | | ## Upcoming events - **1 Apr 2027**: Soyuz MS-29 crew lands after about 261 days ## Most important updates - **14 Jul 2026**: Soyuz MS-29 launches Dubrov, Kikina and NASA's Anil Menon for an eight-month ISS stay. Soyuz MS-29 lifted off from Site 31 at Baikonur at 17:47 Moscow time and docked to the Prichal module about three hours later. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/soyuz-ms-29-launches-dubrov-kikina-and-nasa-s-anil-menon-for-an-eight-6433e2c8.md) · [original source](https://russianspaceweb.com/soyuz-ms-29.html)) - **22 Mar 2026**: Progress MS-33 is the first launch from Baikonur's repaired crew pad; crew docks it by hand. The Progress MS-33 cargo ship lifted off on a Soyuz-2.1a from Pad 6 at Site 31, the first launch since the pad's service platform collapsed in November 2025. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/progress-ms-33-is-the-first-launch-from-baikonur-s-repaired-crew-pad-c629ed09.md) · [original source](https://www.russianspaceweb.com/progress-ms-33.html)) - **27 Nov 2025**: Soyuz MS-28 reaches the ISS, but the launch wrecks a platform at Russia's only crew pad. Soyuz MS-28 launched from Baikonur and docked with the ISS just over three hours later without problems. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/soyuz-ms-28-reaches-the-iss-but-the-launch-wrecks-a-platform-at-russia-849a664d.md) · [original source](https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/russias-launch-pad-damaged-after-soyuz-ms-28-launch/)) ## Current obstacles - **One crew pad**: Site 31 is Russia's only pad for crew launches. A service platform fell into the flame trench in Nov 2025, halting launches until March 2026. - **Docking hardware glitches**: On Progress MS-33 one of two Kurs antennas failed to deploy, and the crew had to guide the ship in by hand. - **Debris and leaks**: A suspected micrometeoroid drained Soyuz MS-22's coolant, forcing an uncrewed MS-23 replacement; Progress MS-21 was also hit while docked. ## Physics limits - **Small capsule, fixed crew**: Soyuz was sized for three people in the 1960s. A bigger crew needs a bigger capsule and heat shield, which is a new spacecraft, not an upgrade. - **Debris faster than bullets**: Objects in low orbit hit at around 17,500 mph. A ship docked for eight months is exposed the whole time, and radiators and coolant lines are hard to shield fully. ## How it works ### Self-docking: Kurs radar finds the station itself The Kurs-NA radar system steers the ship in automatically. If it fails, a cosmonaut on the station flies it in by remote control (TORU), as on Progress MS-33. ### Navigation: Satellite navigation, not ground radar The MS version added GLONASS/GPS navigation and a link through Russia's Luch relay satellites, so it relies less on ground tracking stations. ### Soft landing: Parachute, then a last-second kick The capsule descends under parachutes; solid rockets fire about a metre above the ground to soften the final impact. ### Cargo twin: Progress refuels the station Uncrewed Progress ships bring food, water and propellant (828 kg on MS-33) and later fill with rubbish and burn up on reentry over the Pacific. ## Spec sheet | Spec | Soyuz MS & Progress MS | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | Crew | 3 | reported | | Launch mass (Soyuz MS) | About 7,290 kg | reported | | Docked design life | 240 days | reported | | Launch to docking (MS-29) | About 3 hours | reported | | Progress MS-33 cargo | About 2,700 kg | reported | | Station fuel on MS-33 | 828 kg | reported | | Soyuz MS ships launched | 29 (MS-01 to MS-29) | reported | | Rocket | Soyuz-2.1a from Baikonur Site 31 | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## Peer comparison - [China Manned Space Agency Shenzhou](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/shenzhou.md) (Deploy): Crew 3; Launch to docking (MS-29) About 3.5 hours ## About Roscosmos Roscosmos is Russia's state space corporation, formed in 2015 from the 1992 Russian Space Agency. It owns the country's rocket and spacecraft makers, flies Soyuz crews to the ISS and is building the Soyuz-5 rocket and a national space station. - Soyuz-5, Russia's first new medium rocket in years, flew a successful suborbital test from Baikonur on Apr 30, 2026. - The Russian Orbital Station will now grow from the ISS Russian segment at 51.6 degrees, with a first new module due in late 2028. - Led since February 2025 by Dmitry Bakanov; the 2024 station plan was budgeted at 608.9B rubles. - Founded: 1992 - Headquarters: RU - Status: government - People: Dmitry Bakanov (Director General) - Partners, customers, investors: Kazakhstan (Baiterek joint venture) (partner); NASA (partner) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/roscosmos.md ## Related programs More from Roscosmos: - [Soyuz-5](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/soyuz-5.md) (Proto) - [Russian Orbital Station (ROS)](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/russian-orbital-station.md) (Proto) Everything in Spaceflight: https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). Data API (JSON, realtime stream): https://technooptimist.io/developers. People read 5 pages free, then Reader $10/month; these Markdown pages are open to agents.