The Soyuz GVK is a Russian uncrewed cargo spacecraft currently under development. Its first flight was expected to occur in 2022; however, this has not happened. Like the uncrewed

Progress Progress is movement towards a perceived refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. It is central to the philosophy of progressivism, which interprets progress as the set of advancements in technology, science, and social organization effic ...

cargo spacecraft, the Soyuz GVK is based on the crewed

Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Soviet Union, Union of Soviet Socialist Republi ...

spacecraft. However, the Soyuz GVK will be capable of returning to Earth and bringing cargo back, whereas the Progress burns up in Earth's atmosphere at the end of its mission. The only other resupply spacecraft capable of bringing cargo down from orbit is the

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

Dragon 2 Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed, manufactured, and operated by the American space company SpaceX for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and private spaceflight missions. The spacecraft, which cons ...

cargo spacecraft. The Soyuz GVK will be able to deliver 2,000 kg to orbit and return 500 kg to Earth. It is planned to launch aboard a Soyuz 2.1b booster.

References

{{Cargo spacecraft Cargo spacecraft Supply vehicles for the International Space Station Crewed space program of Russia