Astronomy:Soyuz MS-28

Soyuz MS-28
Names	ISS 74S
Mission type	ISS crew transport
Operator	Roscosmos
Mission duration	240 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Soyuz MS-28 No. 753
Spacecraft type	Soyuz MS
Manufacturer	Energia
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Sergey Kud-Sverchkov; Sergey Mikayev; Christopher Williams;
Callsign	Gyrfalcon
Start of mission
Launch date	NET 27 November 2025, 07:26 UTC
Rocket	Soyuz-2.1a
Launch site	Baikonur, Site 31/6
Contractor	RKTs Progress
End of mission
Landing date	July 2026 (planned)
Landing site	Kazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Rassvet nadir
Docking date	27 November 2025 (planned)
Undocking date	July 2026 (planned)
	; Mission insignia; ; From left: Williams, Kud-Sverchkov and Mikayev Soyuz programme ← Soyuz MS-27 Soyuz MS-29 →

Soyuz MS-28 is a planned Russian crewed Soyuz spaceflight to launch from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome no earlier than 27 November 2025 to the International Space Station.

Mission

The mission was initially scheduled to use Soyuz MS vehicle No. 759, which was next in line for assembly at Energia's factory in Korolyov. During post-production testing, the spacecraft reportedly sustained major damage to its heat shield that could not be repaired in time for the planned launch at the end of 2025. Reports suggested that the shield was either detached when its pyrotechnic bolts were inadvertently triggered (similar to the procedure that occurs shortly before landing) or that its thermal layers delaminated during a poorly executed test. As of October 2025, Roscosmos had not acknowledged the incident, but photographs released from the Baikonur Cosmodrome showed that Soyuz MS vehicle No. 753 was being prepared for flight.^[1]

Vehicle No. 753, along with No. 752, had originally been allocated for prospective commercial missions. Vehicle No. 752 was used for the Soyuz MS-20 space tourism flight, but following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, commercial contracts with the Russian space program were cancelled. As a result, No. 753 was reassigned to regular International Space Station operations. The substitution also allowed Roscosmos to utilize the older spacecraft before its onboard systems exceeded their certified service life.^[1]

Preparations for launch began in early October 2025 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, including testing of the spacecraft's Kurs rendezvous system, leak checks in a vacuum chamber, and verification of propulsion, guidance, and communications systems.^[1]

The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle and payload fairing for the mission arrived by rail at Baikonur on 22 October 2025.^[1]

Crew

The mission was slated to be the first to launch after the termination of a NASA/Roscosmos barter agreement, where one Russian cosmonaut flies on a NASA spacecraft in exchange for one NASA astronaut flying on a Soyuz. Consequently, as of 2024^[update], this mission was scheduled to transport three Russian cosmonauts. However, NASA and Roscosmos were negotiating to extend their seat exchange program beyond 2025,^[4] and in April 2025, NASA announced that Christopher Williams had been assigned to the crew.^[5]

Prime crew
Position^[6]	Crew
Commander	Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Roscosmos Expedition 73/74 Second spaceflight
Flight engineer	Sergey Mikayev, Roscosmos Expedition 73/74 First spaceflight
Flight engineer	Christopher Williams, NASA Expedition 73/74 First spaceflight