iss060m262491743_2019_06_Soyuz_MS-14_Undocking

UNCREWED RUSSIAN SOYUZ SPACECRAFT DEPARTS THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION An uncrewed Russian Soyuz spacecraft, the Soyuz MS-14, undocked from the aft port of the Zvezda service module Sept. 6, headed for an automated deorbit and parachute-assisted landing on the south central steppe of Kazakhstan to wrap up a test flight germane to future crewed launches with the upgraded vehicle beginning next spring. With a humanoid robot strapped in the center seat of the Soyuz descent module, the spacecraft departed the complex 11 days after automatically linking up to Zvezda following an aborted attempt to dock to the space-facing Poisk module on Aug. 24. Designed with modified motion control and entry control systems, the Soyuz was launched on a Soyuz 2.1a booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to test the spacecraft’s compatibility with the booster and other design improvements.