Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Russia's Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft docks to ISS
ADVERTISEMENT

Moscow, March 25 (AFP) Mar 25, 2024
Russia's Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft successfully docked to the International Space Station Monday, four days after its launch was delayed due to a technical issue, the Roscosmos space agency said.

On board is Belarus' first female cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya, experienced Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and US astronaut Tracy Dyson, who blasted off on Saturday for a two-day journey.

"Soyuz MS-25 has docked to the ISS," Roscosmos said.

Novitsky and Vasilevskaya will spend 14 days in orbit, returning home aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with US astronaut Loral O'Hara, while Dyson will spend 184 days in space.

MS-25's take-off was aborted seconds before launch on Thursday, raising further questions about the reliability of Russia's beleaguered space programme.

Once a space-faring pioneer, Moscow has faced multiple setbacks since the collapse of the USSR, including the loss of two Mars missions and its first lunar probe in almost 50 years last August.

Space is one of the final areas of US-Russia cooperation amid an almost complete breakdown in relations between Moscow and Washington over the last two years.

For almost a decade, Russian Soyuz launches were the only way to ferry astronauts between Earth and the ISS, after NASA halted its Space Shuttle programme.

But the United States has now moved to using privately-built SpaceX rockets and capsules, ending Russia's monopoly on manned launches.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Japan Moon probe survives 3rd lunar night
Oldest evidence of Earth's magnetic field discovered by researchers
Satellite Monitoring Highlights Soil Sealing Challenges in the Mediterranean

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Bionic computing advances flexible robot control
Framatome Launches $50 Million Expansion at Lynchburg Facility
Offshore wind turbines may reduce nearby power output

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Major advancements in US space domain awareness through Space Systems Command
Enhancing connectivity and readiness at Space Systems Command
Space Systems Command Completes Key Software Upgrade for OPIR Monitoring at FORGE

24/7 News Coverage
NASA's ORCA, AirHARP Projects Paved Way for PACE to Reach Space
NASA study reveals comprehensive global river water accounting
Asterra debuts groundbreaking L-band SAR API for commercial use


All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.