The Zarya landing module was enlarged from the Soyuz 2.4 m diameter to 4.1 m diameter, while keeping the same shape and L/D coefficient of 0.26 at Mach 6. The enlarged module could deliver in unmanned form 3 metric tons of supplies and fuel to the station, and return with 2.5 metric tons.

With two crew, this dropped to 2.5 metric tons up and 1.5 metric tons back; or 8 crew and no payload could be transported. The landing module was designed for reuse 30 to 50 times. The ablative heat shield of Soyuz was replaced by thermal bricks of the kind developed for Buran. Instead of jettisoning the heat shield before landing to ignite the soft-landing rockets, these were moved to ports mid-way up the module. A total of 24 oxygen-kerosene engines each delivering 1500 kg thrust ignited just before impact with the earth to provide a zero velocity landing. Additionally the landing module had 16 orientation engines, each of 62 kgf.

Crew Size: 12. Length: 3.60 m (11.80 ft). Basic Diameter: 3.70 m (12.10 ft). Maximum Diameter: 3.70 m (12.10 ft). Habitable Volume: 15.00 m3. Mass: 12,000 kg (26,000 lb). Payload: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 16 x 610 N. RCS Propellants: Oxygen/Kerosene. L/D Hypersonic: 0.26.