Soyuz MS-18
Soyuz 2.1a
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)
Crew
Oleg Novitskiy
- Birthday: 10/12/1971
- Role: Commander
- Nationality: Russian
- First Flight: 10/23/2012
- Last Flight: 03/23/2024
Oleg Viktorovich Novitskiy, lieutenant colonel in the Russian Air Force, is a Russian cosmonaut.
Novitskiy was selected as a cosmonaut in 2006.Between February 2007 to July 2009 he completed basic spaceflight training and passed state exams with excellent grades. On August 1, 2009, he was qualified as a test-cosmonaut by the Interdepartmental Qualification Board, and between August 2009 to March 2010 he took the ISS advanced training course.
Pyotr Dubrov
- Birthday: 01/30/1978
- Role: Flight Engineer
- Nationality: Russian
- First Flight: 04/09/2021
- Last Flight: 04/09/2021
Dubrov was selected by Roscosmos as a cosmonaut on 8 October 2012, as one of eight cosmonauts selected as part of Roscosmos’s 2012 selection group.
In 2020 he was assigned to the backup crew of Soyuz MS-17, backing up Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov as Flight Engineer on ISS Expedition 63/64
Mark T. Vande Hei
- Birthday: 11/10/1966
- Role: Flight Engineer
- Nationality: American
- First Flight: 09/12/2017
- Last Flight: 04/09/2021
Mark Thomas Vande Hei is a NASA astronaut who served as a flight Engineer for Expedition 53 and 54 on the International Space Station.
Mission
Soyuz MS-18
- Type: Human Exploration
- Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
- Launch Cost: $80,000,000
Soyuz MS-18 begins expedition 65 by carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, they will rendezvous to the station where they will remain for their 6 month stay.
Location
31/6
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
31/6 has witnessed the launch of 415 rockets, including 415 orbital launch attempts, while Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan, has been the site for 1548 rocket launches.
Rocket
Progress Rocket Space Center Soyuz 2.1a
The Soyuz 2.1A converted the flight control system from analog to digital, which allowed launch from fixed platforms. It also allowed big fairings and payloads.
It is currently used for crewed Soyuz and Progress flights to the ISS.
Agency
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)
The Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, commonly known as Roscosmos, is the governmental body responsible for the space science program of the Russian Federation and general aerospace research. Soyuz has many launch locations the Russian sites are Baikonur, Plesetsk and Vostochny however Ariane also purchases the vehicle and launches it from French Guiana.
