Soyuz MS-03

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.

Thomas Pesquet

• Birthday: 02/27/1978
• Role: Flight Engineer
• Nationality: French
• First Flight: 11/17/2016
• Last Flight: 04/23/2021

Thomas Gautier Pesquet is a French aerospace engineer, pilot, and European Space Agency astronaut. Pesquet was selected by ESA as a candidate in May 2009, and he successfully completed his basic training in November 2010. From November 2016 to June 2017, Pesquet was part of Expeditions 50 and 51 on the International Space Station as a flight engineer.

Peggy Whitson

• Birthday: 02/09/1960
• Role: Flight Engineer
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 06/05/2002
• Last Flight: 05/21/2023

Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female commander of the ISS with Expedition 16. She was on her third long-duration space flight and was the commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 51, before handing over command to Fyodor Yurchikhin on June 1, 2017.

Soyuz MS-03

• Type: Human Exploration
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit

Soyuz MS-03 begins expedition 50 by carrying NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy to the International Space Station. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, they will rendezvous to the station where they will remain for their 6 month stay.

1/5

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

1/5 has witnessed the launch of 487 rockets, including 487 orbital launch attempts, while Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan, has been the site for 1547 rocket launches.

Progress Rocket Space Center Soyuz FG

The Soyuz FG rocket is an expendable launch vehicle most commonly known for carrying humans to the International Space Station today.

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.