EVAActive🇷🇺
Orlan-MKS
Russia's current ISS spacesuit — the most advanced Orlan ever built, with fully domestic Russian avionics and automated thermal control.
About This Suit
The Orlan-MKS is the latest and most capable version of the Orlan series, introduced to the ISS in 2017 and still in active service. Its most significant upgrade is a Russian-made LCD display system that replaced earlier imported electronics, achieving full domestic sourcing of critical avionics — a strategic priority after geopolitical tensions. The suit also features an automated thermal control system that continuously adjusts coolant water temperature, and can self-test 50 parameters in 30 seconds. With a 6-year orbital service life and capability for 15–20 EVAs per suit, it is also the most reusable Orlan. Unit No. 6 was delivered to the ISS in March 2025 aboard Progress MS-30 and represents the most recent evolution of a design lineage stretching back to 1977.
Key Features
- 1Fully domestic Russian LCD display system — strategically self-sufficient avionics
- 2Automated thermal control: continuously adjusts coolant water temperature
- 350-parameter self-test in 30 seconds (vs. manual analog check in earlier variants)
- 46-year orbital service life; 15–20 EVAs per suit
- 5Rear-entry hatch design (inherited from Orlan-D via Krechet-94 lineage)
- 6Lightest production Orlan at 110 kg
Historic Missions
2017
ISS Russian EVAs (2017–present)
All ISS Russian segment EVAs from 2017 onward; 15+ EVAs and counting
2025
Orlan-MKS No. 6 delivery
Newest unit delivered March 2025 via Progress MS-30 — latest iteration with full domestic avionics
Engineering & Research Highlights
- ◆Automated thermal management proved that EVA suit environmental control can be fully autonomous without ground intervention
- ◆Domestic avionics development demonstrated spacesuit independence from international supply chains