The State Corporation Roscosmos intends to re-dock the Soyuz MS-17 manned transport vehicle, which is currently part of the International Space Station (ISS).

The Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft was launched on October 14, 2020 from launch pad No. 31 of the Baikonur cosmodrome. The spacecraft was delivered into orbit by the crew of the long-term expedition ISS-64: these are Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins.

It is reported that on March 19, 2021, it is planned to re-dock the Soyuz MS-17 from the Rassvet small research module (MIM-1) to the Poisk small research module. This is necessary to ensure the possibility of docking the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft to MIM-1.

«The simultaneous presence of two Soyuz MS spacecraft in the Russian segment of the station at the same time ensures the direct transfer of the change of long-term ISS-64 and ISS-65 crews. Undocking of the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft and return of the ISS-64 crew to Earth are scheduled for the second half of April.“, – said on the website of Roskosmos.

Re-docking of the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft is also associated with the need for the crew to go into open space (EVK-48) in order to complete preparations for undocking the Pirs module, which must be de-orbited for the subsequent docking of the Nauka laboratory module in its place. …

«During EVA-48 it is planned to use the Search module as an airlock. The most rational in terms of the actions of the ISS crew and safe in terms of countering possible emergency situations during reverse airlock is to perform EVA-48, when the transition compartment of the service module is used as a backup lock, and the spacecraft on which the crew performing EVA arrived is docked to the Rassvet ““, – says Roskosmos.