Image: NASA / Roscosmos (public domain)
ISS Expedition 59/60
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2019-03-14 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 (Gagarin's Start) |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-FG |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz MS-12 |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 2019-10-03 |
| Duration | 202 days 15 hours 46 minutes (Ovchinin & Hague on Soyuz MS-12) |
| Partners | NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, CSA, MBRSC (UAE) |
Overview
Soyuz MS-12 carried a crew defined by resilience and record-setting. Commander Alexei Ovchinin was flying his second mission just five months after surviving the dramatic Soyuz MS-10 launch abort with Nick Hague — making this the pair's redemption flight to orbit. Alongside them rode Christina Koch, whose tour would stretch to 328 days, the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Spanning Expeditions 59 and 60, where Ovchinin took command, the crew conducted a busy spacewalk campaign; a planned all-female EVA by Koch and Anne McClain was famously scrubbed over spacesuit sizing. Koch and Hague instead carried out battery and adapter work outside the station. As the flight closed in October 2019, Ovchinin and Hague returned aboard Soyuz MS-12 together with UAE spaceflight participant Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati in space, while Koch remained aloft to complete her record.
Crew
Alexei Ovchinin
Soyuz Commander; ISS Flight Engineer (Exp 59), Commander (Exp 60), Roscosmos
Second flight; redemption mission after the Soyuz MS-10 abort
Nick Hague
ISS Flight Engineer (NASA)
First flight to orbit after surviving the Soyuz MS-10 abort
Christina Koch
ISS Flight Engineer (NASA)
Launched on MS-12; remained aboard for a record 328-day single flight
Key Milestones
2019-03-14
Soyuz MS-12 launches from Baikonur with Ovchinin, Hague and Koch (Ovchinin and Hague's return flight after the MS-10 abort)
2019-03-15
Soyuz docks with the ISS, completing the six-person Expedition 59 crew
2019-03-29
Planned all-female spacewalk by Koch and McClain is rescheduled over spacesuit sizing; Koch and Hague conduct the EVA instead
2019-06-24
Expedition 60 begins; Ovchinin assumes command of the station
2019-10-03
Soyuz MS-12 lands with Ovchinin, Hague and UAE's Hazza Al Mansouri; Koch stays for her record-setting 328-day flight
Key Achievements
Redemption flight for Ovchinin and Hague after surviving the October 2018 Soyuz MS-10 launch abort
Carried Christina Koch, who set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days)
Return leg brought home Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati (UAE) citizen in space
Saw the much-publicized scrub of the first planned all-female spacewalk over suit sizing
