Soyuz MS-19

Soyuz MS-19 was launched on 5 October 2021, 08:55:02 and docked at 12:22:31 UTC following a three-hour, 2-orbit rendezvous profile, and after using a manual docking system operated by spacecraft commander Anton Shkaplerov, to the Rassvet module of the ISS.

On 14 May 2021, the Interagency Committee approved the composition of the ISS main and alternate crews for the period 2021–2023.^[11] The crew of Soyuz MS-19 was decided then. Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (commander) and the crew of the film The Challenge: actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko, were chosen to go and went to the ISS on the Soyuz MS-19. The film drama was a joint project of Roscosmos, Channel One and the Yellow, Black and White studio.^[12][13] The back-up crew chosen after passing the medical committee was: New Drama Theater actress Alena Mordovina, director Alexei Dudin^[14] and the commander Oleg Artemyev.^[15] Since 24 May 2021, the crew members had been training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.^[16] On 23 July 2021, the prime crew participated in a four-hour simulation inside a Soyuz replica while wearing the Sokol suit, and on 28 July 2021,^[17] the back-up crew completed the same exercise. According to the back-up commander Oleg Artemyev the performance of the two back-up Spaceflight Participants was outstanding.^[18] On 30 July 2021, the spacecraft had its pre-launch preparation started.^[19] On 31 August 2021, the medical committee announced that both the main and reserve crews were healthy for space flight.^[20]

The filming equipment was launched at Progress MS-17^[21] and returned on Soyuz MS-18.

The film, which according to Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, is an "experiment to see if Roscosmos can prepare two ordinary people to fly in about 3 or 4 months" has received opposition from the scientific and aerospace communities, as to the fact that they remove trained cosmonauts from their flights, a misuse of public money,^[22] or even that using the station's resources for non-scientific purposes would be illegal. Igor Krasnov, Procurator General of Russia, has opened an investigation into whether the use of space station resources is illegal.^[23] Sergei Krikalev, director of crewed programs at Roscosmos, reportedly lost his position by speaking out against the project,^[24] but was reinstated after a few days following protests from cosmonauts on and off active duty.^[16]

Klim Shipenko shot about 35–40 minutes of film on the ISS, as well as taking on the positions of director, operator, art director, and makeup artist. The Challenge was released on 12 April 2023. Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov appear in the film,^[25] with Dubrov and Mark Vande Hei assisting in the production.^[26] Shkaplerov also appears in some scenes of the movie.^[27]

The ISS flight manifest drafted by Roscosmos in the fall of 2020 set the launch of the Prichal module for on 24 November 2021, with docking at Nauka's nadir port two days later.^[28][29] The Prichal module will become the second addition to the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) in 2021. One port on Prichal is equipped with an active hybrid docking port, which enables docking with the Nauka module. The remaining five ports are passive hybrids, enabling docking of Soyuz and Progress vehicles, as well as heavier modules and future spacecraft with modified docking systems. This will enable the Russian Orbital Segment to operate on its own after 2024.^[30]

To complete the integration of the UM Prichal into the Russian segment, cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Petr Dubrov performed a spacewalk to lay cables between Nauka and Prichal. This spacewalk occurred on 19 January 2022. Seven additional spacewalks will follow through 2022 to complete the integration of the Nauka and Prichal modules into the Russian Orbital Segment.^[30]