Russian Soyuz docks with ISS on 2nd attempt
Sharmila Kuthunur in SPACE | August 27, 2019

After the Soyuz MS-14’s first automated approach to the ISS was aborted due to a malfunction, the spacecraft has now docked safely at the station’s Zvezda module. It carries supplies for the crew and a humanoid robot.


Roscosmos – the Russian space agency – launched its Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft on August 22, 2019, to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was initially scheduled to dock at the station’s space-facing Poisk module on August 24, 2019. However, the spacecraft was commanded to back away when a malfunction of equipment on the ISS prevented it from locking on to the module. The spacecraft successfully carried out a second docking attempt on August 26. The Soyuz carries 1,450 pounds (658 kg) of cargo containing food and medical supplies, and equipment to aid scientific experiments. Plus it carries Skybot F-850 – a humanoid robot – that will be tested for its functional capabilities in microgravity. The ISS took to Twitter to confirm Soyuz MS-14’s arrival:

The Soyuz MS-14 is home at the Zvezda module! Contact and capture confirmed at 11:08 pm ET.

The spacecraft with its robot cargo is currently at the station’s Zvezda module; Zvezda is Russian for star.