Soyuz MS-05 - FLOWN ISS cover feat. Randy Bresnik Artemis III Cdr.

Soyuz MS-05 — ISS-Flown Roscosmos Cover Triple-Postmarked in Space and Signed by Nine Expedition 52/53 Crew Members

An exceptional International Space Station-flown cover officially issued by Roscosmos, bearing three onboard postal cancellations and the handwritten signatures of nine astronauts and cosmonauts associated with the Expedition 52 and Expedition 53 mission period.

The cover carries dated onboard postmarks from July 29, 2017, marking the arrival of the Soyuz MS-05 crew at the International Space Station, and December 14, 2017, the date on which the spacecraft returned its three crew members safely to Earth after approximately four and a half months in orbit.

Soyuz MS-05 carried NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli. They joined the resident Expedition 52 crew aboard the station and later formed the core of Expedition 53, during which Bresnik assumed command of the ISS.

Hand-signed by nine astronauts and cosmonauts

The cover brings together the signatures of nine spacefarers who served aboard the ISS during the Soyuz MS-05 mission period:

Expedition 52 resident crew

• Fyodor Yurchikhin — Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 52 commander
• Peggy Whitson — NASA astronaut and flight engineer
• Jack Fischer — NASA astronaut and flight engineer

Soyuz MS-05 crew

• Randy Bresnik — NASA astronaut, Expedition 52 flight engineer and Expedition 53 commander
• Sergey Ryazanskiy — Roscosmos cosmonaut and flight engineer
• Paolo Nespoli — ESA astronaut and flight engineer

Soyuz MS-06 crew

• Alexander Misurkin — Roscosmos cosmonaut and flight engineer
• Mark Vande Hei — NASA astronaut and flight engineer
• Joseph “Joe” Acaba — NASA astronaut and flight engineer

Yurchikhin, Whitson and Fischer were aboard the station when the Soyuz MS-05 crew arrived. After their departure in September, Misurkin, Vande Hei and Acaba joined Bresnik, Ryazanskiy and Nespoli to form the complete six-person Expedition 53 crew.

Randy Bresnik: from ISS commander to Artemis III

The most significant contemporary signature on the cover is that of Randy “Komrade” Bresnik.

A veteran Marine aviator and NASA astronaut, Bresnik first flew in space aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-129 in 2009. He returned to orbit aboard Soyuz MS-05, serving initially as an Expedition 52 flight engineer before taking command of Expedition 53.

During the expedition, Bresnik participated in three spacewalks and helped lead work on the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, including the replacement and servicing of one of its latching end effectors.

In June 2026, NASA named Bresnik commander of Artemis III, alongside pilot Luca Parmitano and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. The currently planned mission will test critical Orion rendezvous and docking operations in low-Earth orbit as part of NASA’s preparations for future crewed lunar landings.

His signature therefore connects two major eras of human spaceflight: long-duration international operations aboard the ISS and the next phase of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program.

A cover documenting an entire ISS crew rotation

The combination of the July and December postmarks gives this cover unusual historical depth.

The July 29, 2017 cancellation represents the arrival of Bresnik, Ryazanskiy and Nespoli and the formation of the expanded Expedition 52 crew. The December 14, 2017 cancellation marks the departure and return of the same Soyuz MS-05 trio, closing their 139-day mission aboard the orbital complex.

Rather than documenting only a single moment, the cover records the beginning and conclusion of the Soyuz MS-05 expedition and brings together signatures from the changing international crews who occupied the station during that period.

Highlights include:

• Flown aboard the International Space Station
• Officially issued Roscosmos cover
• Three postal cancellations applied in space
• Dated onboard postmarks from July 29 and December 14, 2017
• Signed by nine Expedition 52 and Expedition 53 astronauts and cosmonauts
• Complete Soyuz MS-05 crew signature set
• Signatures representing NASA, Roscosmos and ESA
• Signed by Randy Bresnik
• Direct connection to the commander of NASA’s Artemis III mission

A highly desirable modern astrophilatelic artifact combining Soyuz flight history, onboard ISS postal markings, an extensive international signature set and an important connection between the Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Artemis eras.