Soyuz MS-28 Reaches ISS on Thanksgiving with US-Russian Crew

On Nov. 27, 2025, a three-person Soyuz MS-28 crew launched from Baikonur and docked at the International Space Station the same morning, turning Thanksgiving into an orbital milestone. NASA astronaut Chris Williams flew with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev for an eight-month expedition that began with a 4:27 a.m. EST liftoff and a 6:34 a.m. EST docking. The flight, designated by the call sign “Gyrfalcon,” carried symbolic artwork and zero-g indicators and arrived to join Expedition 73 crew members already aboard. The newcomers are scheduled to form the core of Expedition 74 after a crew rotation in early December.

Key takeaways

• Soyuz MS-28 launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Nov. 27, 2025, at 4:27 a.m. EST (0927 GMT, 2:27 p.m. local time) and docked three hours later at 6:34 a.m. EST (1234 GMT).
• The crew comprises NASA’s Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev; Williams is making his first flight, Kud-Sverchkov his second (185 days in space in 2021).
• The mission will last roughly eight months, with some crew changes planned in early December when Soyuz MS-27 departs carrying several Expedition 73 members.
• On-orbit activities include hundreds of science experiments, possible spacewalks, station maintenance, installation and testing of the European E4D exercise device, cryogenic fuel efficiency studies and semiconductor crystal growth.
• Soyuz MS-28 carried symbolic artwork by pediatric cancer patients and two zero-g indicators: a crocheted ginger cat named “Gizmo” and a knitted cosmonaut from Gagarin school students.
• Roscosmos plans to deploy GigaChat, an AI assistant, to support operations on the Russian segment; Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev will be the first to use the system aboard the station.

Background

The Soyuz family has been a workhorse of crewed access to low Earth orbit for decades, operating from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan since the 1960s. After the retirement of several commercial and government vehicles, Soyuz flights have continued as a reliable means of ferrying crew and returning station occupants, with tightly choreographed launch, rendezvous and docking profiles that often complete in a matter of hours. International cooperation has long defined the ISS program: U.S. and Russian spacecraft and personnel routinely fly together, sharing scientific objectives and on-orbit responsibilities despite broader geopolitical tensions.

This launch carried additional symbolic elements: the rocket was partially wrapped in artwork created by children affected by pediatric cancer across more than 50 Russian cities and 14 other countries, and the mission patch depicts a gyrfalcon. The incorporation of zero-g indicators and student-made items continues a public-engagement tradition intended to connect communities on the ground with activity in orbit. The mission also underscores the station’s dual roles as a laboratory and a platform for multinational collaboration and technology validation.

Main event

Soyuz MS-28 lifted off at 4:27 a.m. EST and climbed into orbit atop a Soyuz 2.1a booster. Telemetry showed a nominal ascent profile; the spacecraft reached orbital insertion on schedule and executed rapid rendezvous maneuvers. Docking occurred at 6:34 a.m. EST to the Rassvet module, about three hours after liftoff, completing a fast-track mission profile that is now routine for Soyuz short rendezvous sequences.

On arrival the three new crewmembers completed leak checks and hatch opening procedures and were met by Expedition 73 personnel, including commander Sergey Ryzhikov and flight engineers Alexey Zubritsky, Oleg Platonov, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui. The crews planned a shared meal and standard welcoming activities; that hatch opening was scheduled at about 10:10 a.m. EST (1510 GMT), after final safety verifications. The social element of the welcome included Thanksgiving traditions onboard, with a menu prepared in Houston and a holiday food kit delivered earlier to the station.

Williams, Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev will participate immediately in handover briefings and begin work on cargo transfers, experiment activation and systems checks. Williams is slated to help install and test the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D) and to lead experiments on cryogenic fuel efficiency and semiconductor crystal growth. Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev will operate science and maintenance tasks and will also participate in an operational experiment integrating GigaChat as a decision-support tool for the Russian segment.

Analysis & implications

The rapid launch-to-dock timeline underscores Soyuz’s continued operational maturity and the ISS program’s emphasis on minimizing crew fatigue during transfer operations. Completing rendezvous in roughly three hours reduces time spent in the confined Soyuz cabin and accelerates the handover of experiments and systems responsibilities between crews. For NASA and Roscosmos, smooth short-duration rendezvous operations lower overall mission risk and maintain the cadence of station rotations and scientific output.

The presence of an American astronaut flying with two Russian cosmonauts on a holiday illustrates the practical resilience of space cooperation even as Earthbound politics can be strained. Missions like MS-28 sustain joint logistics, shared safety procedures, and integrated workflows that are costly and time-consuming to rebuild. Operational continuity aboard the ISS benefits a wide scientific portfolio, from human physiology and life-support testing to materials processing and technology demonstrations relevant to future deep-space missions.

Introducing an AI assistant such as GigaChat into operational duties raises questions about human–machine collaboration, certification, and oversight. If the system reliably supports routine decisions, it could reduce cognitive load for crew and ground teams; however, full operational reliance will require rigorous validation and clear rules of engagement so that automated recommendations remain auditable and reversible. The scientific and engineering agenda on Expedition 74 — exercise hardware testing, cryogenics research and semiconductor crystal growth — has near-term payoffs for long-duration human health and in-space manufacturing capabilities.

Comparison & data

The table above places MS-28’s timeline in context: modern Soyuz procedures enable docking in a matter of hours, whereas earlier flights or certain orbital constraints have required multi-orbit or multi-day rendezvous. Shorter transfer intervals reduce crew exposure to limited life-support duration in the ascent vehicle and speed transition to station operations, but they also demand precise targeting and tight launch windows.

Reactions & quotes

Public and crew reactions emphasized gratitude, science goals and the unusual holiday timing. Incoming and incumbent crewmembers portrayed the arrival as both a personal milestone and a routine step in a long-running international program.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful to live in a country where the grandson of Panamanian immigrants can represent America in the heavens, on a mission of peace and science.

Chris Williams (NASA, social media)

Williams’ statement framed the personal and symbolic aspects of his flight while underscoring the mission’s scientific intent. His background in physics and medical imaging informs several planned experiments and hardware tests.

This is my second Thanksgiving in space, so I highly recommend it.

Mike Fincke (NASA, recorded video)

Veteran astronaut Mike Fincke spoke about the station’s holiday traditions and the logistics of preparing a Thanksgiving meal in microgravity, highlighting crew morale and continuity of station culture. Flight engineers also described how the pre-delivered holiday food kit supports the celebration.

We even have some lobster, which is amazing!

Zena Cardman (NASA, mission interview)

Cardman’s light-hearted remark about the menu emphasized the practical planning behind maintaining crew nutrition and morale on long-duration missions, reflecting coordination between Johnson Space Center food labs and on-orbit inventory management.

Unconfirmed

• The operational autonomy and decision-making limits of the GigaChat AI assistant aboard the Russian segment have not been independently verified; details on its certification process remain limited.
• Any long-term impacts of the holiday timing on crew sleep cycles and experiment schedules are still being assessed by mission planners and have not been publicly quantified.

Bottom line

The Nov. 27 Soyuz MS-28 flight delivered a multinational crew to the ISS in a swift, nominal operation that blended technical routine with public-facing symbolism. The mission preserves essential logistics and scientific output for low Earth orbit while providing platforms to test exercise hardware, cryogenic techniques and in-space manufacturing experiments relevant to future exploration.

Operationally, the mission highlights the resilience of U.S.–Russian cooperation in human spaceflight and advances conversations about integrating AI tools into flight operations. For the public, the Thanksgiving-day launch served as a reminder that spaceflight remains both technically demanding and culturally resonant, with scientific returns expected to accrue throughout the planned eight-month stay.

Sources

• Space.com (news media)
• NASA (official press releases and mission statements)
• Roscosmos (official agency communications)