Fly a crew of two to three people back and forth to the International Space Station
Deliver small payloads to the Space Station and return them to Earth
Perform fly-around and docking operations
The Soyuz spacecraft serves as:
The ISS crew's return vehicle, acting as a lifeboat in the unlikely event an emergency would require the crew to leave the Station. A new Soyuz capsule is normally delivered to the Station by a Soyuz crew every six months, replacing an older Soyuz on the ISS
A crew rotation vehicle; one crew is delivered to the Station on a Soyuz and one departs on another Soyuz or alternate vehicle
A cargo return vehicle, carrying up to 250 kg of cargo
