KOROLYOV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2022) Russia's spacecraft Soyuz MS-21 carrying three Russian cosmonauts started its departing mission on Thursday by undocking from the International Space Station (ISS), where the ship was deployed since March 18, a Sputnik correspondent reported, citing the broadcast of the Russian space agency's (RKA) Mission Control Center.
The spacecraft's propulsion system will turn on in a few hours to trigger deceleration pulse which will deorbit the ship. The Soyuz MS-21 will split into several units, and the capsule carrying cosmonauts will enter the atmosphere. The landing will take place approximately at 10:57 GMT in Kazakhstan's steppe.
On September 21, the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with a Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft was launched from Baikonur to the ISS carrying another crew of the Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin as well as NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio.
Meanwhile, the only female cosmonaut at Roscosmos, Anna Kikina, was set to fly to the ISS on October 3 on the US-made Crew Dragon spacecraft, but the exact launch date was delayed due to Hurricane Ian, a Category 3 storm that hit Florida's west coast.
