Soyuz – Page 24 – Spaceflight Now

Space station crew returns Thursday, replacements launch Sunday

December 13, 2017 William Harwood

In a rapid-fire crew rotation, a Russian cosmonaut, a NASA astronaut and an Italian flier plan to close out a 139-day mission aboard the International Space Station with a fiery plunge back to the frigid steppe of Kazakhstan aboard their Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft early Thursday.

Intelligence-gathering satellite deployed in orbit for Russian military

December 3, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Russian military surveillance satellite designed to monitor adversaries’ radio signals successfully launched Saturday aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

Guidance error reportedly led to Russian launch failure

November 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

Russian officials could complete their investigation of a rocket failure Tuesday by mid-December, and multiple Russian news reports suggest the probe has narrowed to focus on the guidance computer on the Soyuz launcher’s Fregat upper stage.

Russian weather satellite and 18 secondary payloads lost after rocket failure

November 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

A new Russian weather observatory and the first prototype for Telesat’s planned network of 100-plus broadband communications satellites in low Earth orbit were among 19 spacecraft feared lost after a Fregat rocket stage ran into trouble soon after liftoff aboard a Soyuz booster Tuesday.

Soyuz rocket set for launch from Russia’s new cosmodrome

November 27, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket is scheduled to lift off Tuesday from a launch pad in Russia’s Far East with a new Russian weather satellite and 18 secondary payloads from companies and institutions in the United States, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Germany.

Progress cargo freighter begins two-day trek to space station

October 14, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Russian Progress freighter carrying nearly three tons of fuel, cargo and supplies for the International Space Station took off from Kazakhstan Saturday, two days after an uncommon last-minute abort for its Soyuz booster.

Russian resupply launch aborted, curbing express trip to station

October 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

The launch of a Soyuz rocket with a Progress refueling and resupply freighter was aborted seconds before liftoff Thursday in a rare scrub for Russia’s workhorse rocket, delaying the start of a journey to the International Space Station until at least Saturday and thwarting plans to test out a new automated fast-track rendezvous sequence.

Russian Progress supply ship poised for swift trip to space station

October 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

Russian ground crews are readying a robotic Progress cargo freighter for launch Thursday on an expedited trek to the International Space Station that should take less than three-and-a-half hours from liftoff to docking, cutting in half the normal transit time.

Replenishment satellite launched into Russia’s Glonass navigation fleet

September 22, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket added a new satellite to Russia’s Glonass navigation network Friday with an on-target delivery nearly 12,000 miles above Earth.

Six firm launch contracts booked with Arianespace

September 20, 2017 Stephen Clark

Arianespace has received its first two confirmed launch contracts for Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket, and the company recently announced four more launch bookings to loft communications and weather satellites into orbit aboard Ariane 5 and Soyuz boosters from French Guiana.