Russia rolls Soyuz rocket to the pad ahead of Sept. 15 astronaut launch to ISS (photos)

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The rocket is poised to launch three members of the space station's Expedition 70 crew later this week.

The nose of a green train car sits on the track in the foreground as gathered people in the distance - some wearing yellow, reflective vests - watch as the five-booster cluster of the butt-end of a green/grey soyuz rocket is backed out of a factory/warehouse style building.
The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission is rolled to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

Tuesday was an active day at Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, as the Soyuz rocket for the next astronaut launch to the International Space Station was rolled to the launchpad.

A Soyuz 2.1a rocket will launch the Soyuz MS-24 mission on Sept. 15, at 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT). 

The spacecraft will carry three crew members of ISS Expedition 70 to relieve crewmembers delayed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) more than six months past their scheduled return to Earth. 

Related: NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara ready for Soyuz launch to relieve delayed crew in space

MS-24's Soyuz 2.1a rocket was rolled via railcar from the Russian Space Corporation (Roscosmos) integration facilities, in Baikonur, to the Cosmodrome's Launch Complex 31.NASA photographer Bill Ingals was able to capture Soyuz's Sept. 12 journey, as the train pulled the rocket down the tracks.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission is rolled out to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

A leak aboard the MS-22 spacecraft extended its crew's mission while their empty spacecraft was undocked and returned to Earth. The MS-23 Soyuz was then repurposed for an uncrewed launch to the space station in order to bring the stranded astronaut and cosmonauts home.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission is rolled out to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

The Expedition 70 crew members launching this week were originally slated to fly that spacecraft, but were bumped to Soyuz MS-24 as a part of the schedule adjustment. That rocket is scheduled to kickoff Friday morning, and is now standing at pad ready to launch.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission is rolled via train to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko will fly as mission commander for MS-24. He will be joined by fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, both of whom are headed to space for the first time. 

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission rolled to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

This will be Kononenko's fifth mission, and will add six months to his already accumulated 736 days in orbit. As Kononenko and his crewmates reach the latter half of their stay onboard the ISS, the cosmonaut will surpass Gennadi Padalka as the most traveled human in space. Padalka set the record in 2015, returning to Earth after hitting accumulated 879 days.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission rolled to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

The Sept. 15 launch is scheduled for 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT). A short two hours later, Soyuz MS-24 will be preparing to rendezvous with the ISS.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission was secured at Launch Complex 21, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

A hatch opening and welcome ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. (2045 GMT), later that day. 

A green cage of support arms and structural access levels encase a green/grey soyuz rocket. People in white hard hats wearing blue stand at the base of the rocket. Six people closer to the foreground wearing yellow highlighter vests, but one is barely visible, as they are standing behind a small structure on the left.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission was secured at Launch Complex 21, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)

Soyuz MS-24 is scheduled to dock to the space station's Rassvet module, on the Russian section of the orbital laboratory. With the arrival of MS-24, crewmembers of MS-22/MS-23 will prepare to return to Earth. 

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket for the MS-24 mission was secured at Launch Complex 21, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, Sept. 12, 2023. (Image credit: NASA/ Bill Ingals)
Related Stories:

— Leaky Soyuz spacecraft at space station returns to Earth in speedy landing

— Russian Progress cargo spacecraft launches toward the ISS

— Soyuz rocket: Russia's venerable booster

As a result of the Soyuz MS-22 leak, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin have all now spent an entire year in orbit, putting them alongside a select few human space travelers whose missions have lasted as long.

Rubio has now officially broken the U.S. record for continuous days in space, logging a total of 355 days. "My family has been the cornerstone that's inspired me to hopefully keep somewhat of a good attitude while I've been up here," Rubio said in a video recorded on Sept. 5. that aired on NASA Television's media channel Tuesday (Sept. 12).

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Josh Dinner
Josh Dinner
Writer, Content Manager

Josh Dinner is Space.com's Content Manager. He is a writer and photographer with a passion for science and space exploration, and has been working the space beat since 2016. Josh has covered the evolution of NASA's commercial spaceflight partnerships, from early Dragon and Cygnus cargo missions to the ongoing development and launches of crewed missions from the Space Coast, as well as NASA science missions and more. He also enjoys building 1:144 scale models of rockets and human-flown spacecraft. Find some of Josh's launch photography on Instagram and his website, and follow him on Twitter, where he mostly posts in haiku.