Soyuz MS-10

Soyuz MS-10
Name	Soyuz MS-10
Mission type	Crewed transport to International Space Station
Operator	Roscosmos
Spacecraft	Soyuz MS spacecraft
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Launch date	2018-10-11T08:40:15 UTC
Launch rocket	Soyuz-FG
Launch site	Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5
Landing date	2018-10-11T09:31:00 UTC
Crew callsign	Antares

Soyuz MS-10 Soyuz MS-10 was a Russian crewed launch intended to deliver a two-person Expedition 57 crew to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft launched by a Soyuz-FG rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 11 October 2018. The mission experienced an in-flight abort during ascent, triggering a ballistic descent and safe recovery of the crew, an outcome that prompted immediate operational reviews by Roscosmos, NASA, and international partners including the European Space Agency and JAXA. The abort ended a continuous chain of consecutive successful crewed Soyuz flights and highlighted the reliance of International Space Station logistics on Soyuz access.

Background

The flight was part of the long-running Soyuz program developed by RKK Energia and operated from Baikonur Cosmodrome, supporting crew rotations for the International Space Station alongside commercial systems such as SpaceX Crew Dragon and vehicles like Boeing Starliner in development. The two-person manifest reflected ongoing crew assignments between Roscosmos and NASA under long-standing agreements. The Soyuz-FG launcher used a core stage and four strap-on boosters derived from designs originally used in Soviet-era programs managed by organizations such as TsSKB-Progress and integrated at facilities in Siberia and Moscow Oblast.

Launch and Abort Sequence

At liftoff, the Soyuz-FG performed nominally until approximately 123 seconds into ascent when telemetry anomalies indicated a structural separation failure between a strap-on booster and the core stage, producing an abnormal aerodynamic and propulsion disturbance. Flight controllers at TsUP monitored data while the onboard abort system — developed under design regimes from Sergey Korolev era heritage — automatically initiated a separation of the Soyuz spacecraft from the launch vehicle. The crewed descent module executed a high-G ballistic reentry profile, parachute deployment, and landing on the steppes near Jezkazgan region with recovery teams from Kazakhstan and Roscosmos assets retrieving the crew. International agencies including NASA and ESA issued coordinated status updates and activated contingency protocols from their centers such as Johnson Space Center and European Astronaut Centre.

Crew

The two-person crew consisted of Aleksey Ovchinin representing Roscosmos and Nick Hague representing NASA. Both were veteran test and flight crew trained at institutions including the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and selected through programs involving agencies such as RKK Energia and NASA Astronaut Corps. The crewmembers operated under the callsign "Antares" and followed abort procedures established after prior incidents in the Soyuz lineage, with medical assessments conducted by teams from Russian Academy of Sciences medical units and NASA Flight Medicine upon recovery.

Investigation and Causes

Following the event, a joint investigation board composed of representatives from Roscosmos, RKK Energia, TsSKB-Progress, NASA, and independent experts examined telemetry, telemetry recorder data, and hardware debris recovered from the landing zone. Investigators identified an improper separation of a strap-on booster resulting from human error during manufacturing and assembly processes at facilities overseen historically by organizations such as Progress Rocket Space Centre and legacy Soviet-era suppliers. The board traced contributing factors through quality assurance records, subcontractor documentation, and pre-launch procedures, and recommended corrective actions including process changes at Baikonur integration sites and additional inspections of flight hardware. Findings were discussed in briefings at venues including Moscow and Houston.

Impact and Aftermath

The abort prompted temporary suspension and rescheduling of subsequent Soyuz flights, adjustments to crew rotation plans for Expedition 58 and later expeditions, and accelerated diplomatic and technical coordination among Roscosmos, NASA, ESA, and partner agencies. The incident influenced timelines for crewed access diversification via Commercial Crew Program contractors such as SpaceX and Boeing, and reinforced reliance concerns articulated in strategic planning at agencies like European Space Agency and national space agencies including JAXA. Operational changes included enhanced inspection regimes at Baikonur Cosmodrome, revised launch procedures at facilities managed by Roscosmos State Corporation, and updates to training curricula at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Public and political responses involved statements from officials in Moscow and Washington, D.C., and the event became a case study in risk management taught at aerospace institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology.

Technical Description of the Soyuz MS-10 Mission Module

The flight utilized a Soyuz MS-class spacecraft comprising an orbital module, descent (reentry) module, and instrument-service module, built by RKK Energia and incorporating avionics upgrades from previous Soyuz-TMA versions. Systems included life support derived from heritage designs tested since the Salyut and Mir eras, guidance and navigation avionics interfacing with ground stations including TsUP and Baikonur telemetry networks, and an abort tower and separation mechanisms designed per specifications originating in the Sergei Korolev development period. The Soyuz-FG launcher featured a core stage with four RD-107/108-derived strap-on boosters produced by engine manufacturers such as Kuznetsov-era successors; failure of a separation joint between a strap-on and the core was central to the anomaly. The descent module's heatshield and parachute system executed a planned high-dynamic ballistic trajectory, with shock-absorbing seats and survival equipment enabling crew recovery by Russian search-and-rescue units coordinated with Kazakhstan authorities.

Category:Soyuz missions Category:2018 in spaceflight