3 Astronauts To Join Sunita Williams, Other ISS Crew As Soyuz MS-26 Is Set For Sept 11 Launch

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, alongside Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will launch aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft on Sept 11 for a 6-month mission to International Space Station.

Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft will launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station with (left to right) NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.

Source : NASA

Soyuz MS-26 Mission: NASA astronaut Don Pettit will embark on his fourth spaceflight as he lifts off aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft on Wednesday, September 11. Pettit will be joined by Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner for a journey to the International Space Station (ISS), where they will contribute to Expedition 71’s mission for continued scientific research in low Earth orbit.

The launch is scheduled for 12:23 pm EDT (9:53 pm IST) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

After a fast two-orbit, three-hour trajectory, the Soyuz MS-26 is expected to dock with the ISS at 3:33 pm EDT (1:03 am, Thursday, September 12), attaching to the station’s Rassvet module. The hatch opening, set for 5:50 pm EDT (3:20 am, September 12), will mark the trio’s official entry into the ISS, where they will join the existing Expedition 71 crew.

Upon their arrival, the three astronauts will join NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Butch Wilmore, and Sunita Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko. The team will continue research that has been ongoing aboard the ISS for over two decades.

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Live Telecast On NASA Platforms

The crew will remain aboard the ISS for approximately six months, participating in both Expedition 71 and 72, before returning to Earth in the spring of 2025. This will be the fourth spaceflight for Pettit and Ovchinin, and the second for Vagner.

The International Space Station, a cornerstone of human presence in space, has been continuously inhabited since 2000. 

The Soyuz MS-26 launch will be broadcast live on NASA’s streaming platforms, including NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website, with coverage starting at 11:15 am EDT (8:45 pm IST) on Thursday, September 11.