Soyuz FG

Soyuz FG

The Soyuz FG is a Russian medium-lift orbital launch vehicle operated primarily by Roscosmos (the Russian Federal Space Agency) and its predecessors, including the Soviet Space Program and the Russian Space Forces. Manufactured by the Samara-based Progress Rocket Space Centre, it represents one of the most refined variants of the legendary Soyuz rocket family — a lineage stretching back to the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile of the 1950s and widely regarded as the most flown rocket family in spaceflight history.

Design and Capabilities

Standing 49.5 metres tall with a core diameter of 3 metres, the Soyuz FG follows the classic Soyuz architecture: a central core stage flanked by four tapered strap-on boosters, topped by an upper stage and payload fairing. Its most significant technical distinction from earlier Soyuz variants is the use of upgraded fuel injectors on the first and second stage engines, which improve combustion efficiency and increase reliability compared to the Soyuz U it largely succeeded in crewed flight roles. The vehicle is capable of delivering up to 6,450 kg to low Earth orbit, placing it firmly in the medium-lift category.

Launches are conducted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the historic facility from which Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin's flight both departed. Baikonur remains closely associated with the Soyuz family and with Russian human spaceflight operations more broadly.

Operational History

Our flight record tracks 96 flights attributed to this vehicle across a remarkably long operational span running from 1966 through 2024 — a figure that reflects the continuity of the broader Soyuz family, of which the FG variant represents a key chapter in the modern era. Of those 96 tracked missions, 93 were successful, with 3 resulting in failure or partial failure, yielding a strong overall reliability record consistent with the Soyuz family's reputation for robustness.

The Soyuz FG became best known for its role as the dedicated launcher of Soyuz crewed spacecraft to the International Space Station. For a period following the retirement of the NASA Space Shuttle in 2011, it served as the sole means of transporting astronauts to and from the ISS, making it an indispensable vehicle in global human spaceflight operations. Recent crewed missions in our record include Soyuz MS-12, Soyuz MS-13, and Soyuz MS-15, all of which carried international crews to the station.

Customers and Recent Missions

The vehicle's top customers — Roscosmos, the Soviet Space Program, and the Russian Space Forces — reflect its dual identity as both a crewed transport workhorse and a government satellite launcher. More recent missions in the tracked data include several Soyuz 2.1v flights carrying Kosmos-series payloads, such as Kosmos 2574, Kosmos 2575, and the Razbeg 1 spacecraft designated Kosmos 2551, indicating the family's continued relevance for Russian military and reconnaissance satellite programs even as the Soyuz FG's crewed role has been transitioned to the newer Soyuz 2.1a variant.

The Soyuz FG's combination of proven heritage, strong reliability, and operational versatility across crewed and uncrewed missions cements its place as one of the most consequential orbital launch vehicles of the modern spaceflight era.