But if launching in a Soyuz is unpleasant then landing is even worse. “It’s a huge car crash at best, very violent,” says Italian Esa astronautPaolo Nespoli. “You look at some of the hardware in the capsule and think, ‘Wow, we’re back in the ‘50s!’”

Customer feedback might therefore suggest that this relic of the space race is dated, dangerous and due for retirement. But that is not the case at all; even tall Europeans are big fans of this Soviet-era space capsule.

“The vehicle works, it’s effective, does exactly what it’s supposed to do,” says Nespoli.

“When my wife heard that I might have to fly in the Space Shuttle she said she’d prefer if I fly in the Soyuz because it has a better reputation,” adds Kuipers. “It’s very uncomfortable but it’s very safe. It’s a great spacecraft.”

Teething problems

So what is it about this 1960s design that is so enduring? And can today’s spacecraft designers learn lessons from the Soviet-era rocket scientists who created it?

Certainly anyone witnessing Soyuz’s first flight, in April 1967, cannot have imagined the capsule would still be in regular use today ‒ or that it would be described as safe. When Vladimir Komarov blasted into the sky over Kazakhstan in the hastily prepared Soyuz 1, almost nothing went to plan.

Once in orbit, one of the solar array ‘wings’ failed to deploy, communications were erratic and Komarov struggled to orientate the spacecraft. With systems powered down to conserve electricity, after an uncomfortable day in space, the skilled pilot was eventually able to align the spacecraft to re-enter the atmosphere.