Soyuz MS-28 Delivers Three New Crew Members to the ISS — Station Bustles with 10 During Handover

On Thursday, Nov. 27, the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module, delivering three new crewmembers to the International Space Station. Flight engineer Kimiya Yui, posting from the station, noted how the two Soyuz vehicles sat “side by side so amicably” and called the station “quite lively” with 10 people aboard during the handover.

New arrivals and mission length

The Soyuz MS-28 crew — NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev — are scheduled to remain on the station for about eight months. Their arrival expands Expedition 73’s on-orbit team and supports sustained scientific and maintenance operations.

Science highlights

Ultrasound 2: Ground doctors observed live as flight engineer Zena Cardman used a portable ultrasound to scan crewmate Jonny Kim’s chest. The procedure helps researchers better understand how the heart adapts to microgravity and improves remote medical practices for deep-space missions.

Droplet: Veteran astronaut Mike Fincke used a fluorescence microscope to sample hardware, enabling scientists to study particle behavior in fluids. Those results can inform improved optical materials and new approaches to removing pollutants from fluid systems.

Maintenance and vehicle operations

Expedition 73 commander Sergey Ryzhikov inspected the electronics and communications systems inside Soyuz MS-27, his planned return vehicle, and continued loading cargo for the upcoming trip home for himself, Alexey Zubritsky and Jonny Kim.

To clear the docking corridor for Soyuz MS-28, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL freighter, the S.S. William C. “Willie” McCool, was unberthed and temporarily held by the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm until it could be reberthed to the Unity node’s Earth-facing common berthing mechanism. During those operations, Cardman paused to pose playfully with equipment covers as the Cygnus hatch was closed.

Current station configuration

As of Friday, Nov. 28, there are 10 people aboard the International Space Station: Expedition 73 commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Oleg Platonov; Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev; NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Jonny Kim and Chris Williams; and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, all serving as flight engineers.

Three crewed vehicles are docked: SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour at the space-facing port of the Harmony module, Soyuz MS-27 at the Earth-facing port of the Prichal node, and Soyuz MS-28 at the Earth-facing port of Rassvet. Four cargo vehicles are also present: Progress MS-31 (92P) at Poisk, Progress MS-32 (93P) at Zvezda’s aft port, Cygnus XL temporarily held on Canadarm2 (to be berthed to Unity’s Earth-facing CBM), and Japan’s HTV-X1 on Harmony’s Earth-facing CBM.

The station has been continuously crewed for 25 years and 26 days as of Nov. 28.