ISS astronauts relocate Soyuz spacecraft ahead of arrival of next crew: Watch

Astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday undocked the Soyuz spacecraft from the Earth-facing port and relocated it to another spot to clear the space for another spacecraft, which is expected to arrive in April. According to Russian space agency Roscosmos, cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov redocked the Soyuz MS-17 crewed vehicle from the Rassvet Mini-Research Module to the Poisk module of the Russian segment of the ISS to clear spot for another Soyuz spacecraft that is expected to fly with three crew members next month. 

For arrival of Soyuz MS-18

Roscosmos, in a press release, said the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft separated from the International Space Craft at about 16:40 UTC. After moving to a safe distance, the vehicle started circling the space station for about 15 minutes before docking in front of the Poisk module. The space has been cleared for the arrival of Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, which is expected to reach the ISS in April with three crew members for Expedition 65. The spacecraft will carry two Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, and one NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei to the ISS on April 9. 

"The relocation opens the Rassvet port for the arrival April 9 of another Soyuz, designated Soyuz MS-18, which will carry NASA’s Mark Vande Hei and Roscosmos’ Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov to join the space station crew after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan," American space agency NASA said in a statement on Friday. 

Meanwhile, Soyuz MS-17, which has been relocated, will return back to Earth next month. The spacecraft was used for transporting three astronauts to the ISS in October last year for Expedition 64. Roscosmos’ Sergey Ryzhikov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA’s Kate Rubins had been flown to the ISS for a six month science experiment. Their expedition will end in April, following which they will use the same spacecraft to return back to Earth. 

(Image Credit: ISS/Twitter)