{"id":23641,"date":"2025-12-11T22:12:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T14:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/all-eight-iss-docking-ports-occupied-for-the-first-time-expedition-74-begins\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T12:39:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T04:39:06","slug":"all-eight-iss-docking-ports-occupied-for-the-first-time-expedition-74-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/all-eight-iss-docking-ports-occupied-for-the-first-time-expedition-74-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"All eight ISS docking ports occupied for the first time, Expedition 74 begins"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the arrival of the MS-28 spacecraft on Nov. 27, all eight docking ports on the International Space Station (ISS) were occupied for the first time in its 27-year history. November also marked 25 years of continuous human presence on the orbiting laboratory.<\/p>\n

With seven vehicles currently docked at the Station and seven crew members living onboard, multiple agencies and companies continue to support a consistent human presence through government and commercial contracts. The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft arrived at the end of November, and several vehicles are scheduled to depart in December. What\u2019s more, Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft\u2019s departure on Dec. 9 marked the end of Expedition 73 and the beginning of Expedition 74.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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A render of the spacecraft at the International Space Staton on Dec. 1 (Credit:NASA)<\/p>\n

Crew rotations<\/p>\n

Roscosmos launched its Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Nov. 27 at 9:27 UTC. A Soyuz 2.1a rocket, with its three stages powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen, lofted the capsule into low-Earth orbit. After completing just two orbits of Earth, Soyuz completed an automated rendezvous sequence and successfully docked to the Russian Rassvet<\/em> module at 12:38 UTC on Nov. 27.<\/p>\n

Onboard were two cosmonauts, commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikayev, along with one NASA astronaut, flight engineer Christopher Williams. The crew will spend around eight months aboard the Station.<\/p>\n

After launch, damage was observed at Site 31\/6, Soyuz MS-28\u2019s launch pad, in Kazakhstan. According to Roscosmos and Russian news reports, a maintenance cabin underneath the launch mount collapsed, significantly damaging the pad. Site 31\/6 is the only Russian launch site capable of supporting ISS launches, and without it, Russia is essentially unable to access the Station. However, Roscosmos reportedly has spare parts for the damaged structure and is expected to begin modifications soon.<\/p>\n