Soyuz MS-17

Soyuz MS-17
Favor launches atop a Soyuz-2.1a
NamesISS 63S
Mission typeISS crew transport
OperatorRoscosmos
COSPAR ID2020-072A
SATCAT no.46613
Mission duration184 days, 23 hours and 10 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz MS-17 No. 747
Spacecraft typeSoyuz MS
ManufacturerEnergia
Crew
Members
CallsignФавор (Favor)
Start of mission
Launch date14 October 2020, 05:45:04 UTC
RocketSoyuz-2.1a No. Х15000-045
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31/6
ContractorRKTs Progress
End of mission
Landing date17 April 2021, 04:55:07 UTC
Landing siteKazakh Steppe, 155 km (96 mi) southeast of Jezkazgan (47°19′32″N 69°39′35″E / 47.32556°N 69.65972°E / 47.32556; 69.65972)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portRassvet nadir
Docking date14 October 2020, 08:48:43 UTC
Undocking date19 March 2021, 16:38:27 UTC
Time docked156 days, 7 hours and 49 minutes
Docking with ISS (relocation)
Docking portPoisk zenith
Docking date19 March 2021, 17:12:35 UTC
Undocking date17 April 2021, 01:34:04 UTC
Time docked28 days, 8 hours and 21 minutes

Mission patch

From left: Rubins, Ryzhikov and KudSverchkov

Soyuz MS-17 was a Soyuz spaceflight that was launched on 14 October 2020. It transported three crew members of the Expedition 63/64 crew to the International Space Station. Soyuz MS-17 was the 145th crewed flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew consisted of a Russian commander and a Russian and American flight engineer.

The mission marked the first use of a new "ultrafast" two-orbit rendezvous flight plan with the Soyuz, which saw Soyuz MS-17 arrive at the ISS within approximately three hours after the launch.

On 19 March 2021, the crew of Soyuz MS-17 boarded their spacecraft to relocate it from Rassvet to Poisk to make way for the arrival and docking of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, which launched on 9 April 2021 carrying cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut, Mark T. Vande Hei to the ISS ahead of a six-month stay. The two spacecraft had a nine-day handover period before Soyuz MS-17 departed. This is necessary to avoid de-crewing the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) of the ISS since no Russian cosmonaut was present aboard SpaceX Crew-1.