Soyuz MS-18

Soyuz MS-18 is a Soyuz spaceflight planned for launch on 9 April 2021[1]. It will transport three members of the Expedition 65 crew to the International Space Station. MS-18 will be the 146th crewed flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew will consist of a Russian commander and flight engineer, along with an American flight engineer.[2][3][4][5][6] The Spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth on 30 September 2021 following 174 Days in space[7].

Soyuz MS-18
Mission typeCrewed mission to ISS
OperatorRoskosmos
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeSoyuz-MS 11F747
ManufacturerRKK Energia
Crew
Crew size3
MembersNikolai Tikhonov
Andrei Babkin
Mark Vande Hei
Start of mission
Launch date9 April 2021 (Planned)
RocketSoyuz-2.1a
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31/6
ContractorProgress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
Landing date30 September 2021 (Planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Docking with ISS
Docking portRassvet nadir
Docking date9 April 2021 (Planned)
Undocking date30 September 2021 (Planned)
Time docked174 Days (Planned)
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)
 

Crew
Position Crew member
Commander Nikolai Tikhonov, RSA
Expedition 65
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1 Andrei Babkin, RSA
Expedition 65
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2 Mark Vande Hei, NASA
Expedition 65
Second spaceflight

The mission's Commander and Flight Engineer 1 are expected to be Russian cosmonauts Nikolai Tikhonov and Andrei Babkin. The two were expected to fly on Soyuz MS-17 following their removal from Soyuz MS-16 in February 2020, although it is speculated that they were kept back in order to be on the station for the arrival of the Russian Nauka laboratory module in May 2021[8]. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei will take the remaining seat, displacing a third Russian cosmonaut, most likely Nikolai Chub, who was in line to fly on Soyuz MS-17 before NASA bought a seat on the flight for Kathleen Rubins.

Backup crew
Position Crew member
Commander Oleg Novitsky, RSA
Flight Engineer 1 Pyotr Dubrov, RSA
Flight Engineer 2 Thomas Marshburn, NASA

References
  1. http://www.russianspaceweb.com/2021.html#soyuz_ms18
  2. anik (2020-02-28). "Первоначально в основной экипаж "Союза МС-18" (старт весной 2021 года) входили Сергей Рыжиков, Сергей Кудь-Сверчков и Сергей Корсаков. Можно предположить, что Кэтлин Рубинс теперь в этом экипаже вместо Корсакова, а в дублирующем - Томас Маршберн.pic.twitter.com/ICQtgZU8Mx". @anik1982space (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  3. https://ria.ru/20200306/1568227299.html
  4. @anik1982space (9 May 2020). "Вот и новые составы российских экипажей «Союза МС-17» стали известны из пресс-релиза аэропорта Жуковский.
    Основной: Сергей Рыжиков, Сергей Кудь-Сверчков.
    Дублирующий: Олег Новицкий, Пётр Дубров.
    К сожалению, Николая Тихонова и Андрея Бабкина нет..."     (Tweet) (in Russian) – via Twitter.
  5. https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=740.msg2087213#new
  6. https://tass.ru/kosmos/8456907
  7. http://www.russianspaceweb.com/2021.html#soyuz_ms18
  8. https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1262358285249847296
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