Soyuz MS

Soyuz MS is the modernized version of the Russian Soyuz crewed spacecraft, developed from the Soyuz TMA-M and used since 2016 to carry crews to and from the International Space Station. It introduced more efficient solar panels, the Kurs-NA approach and docking system, which has less than half the mass of its predecessor, additional micrometeoroid and debris shielding, a modified docking and attitude control engine that adds redundancy during docking and deorbit burns, and a TsVM-101 main computer of only 8.3 kilograms against 70 kilograms for the older Argon-16. A unified digital command and telemetry system can relay data through Luch satellites, and upgraded GLONASS, GPS and COSPAS-SARSAT services give better location during search and rescue after landing. Besides delivering visiting crews of up to three people with small cargoes, the docked Soyuz MS stays ready as the station's lifeboat for an emergency descent of the main crew, and it carries waste from the station to burn up on re-entry. Gunter's Space Page lists its flights from Soyuz-MS 01 on 7 July 2016 to Soyuz-MS 29 on 14 July 2026.