Recently in Soyuz Category

NASA has decided to fork out more cash to buy extra Soyuz seats to take its crews to the International Space Station.  The deal signed with Roscosmos is valued at $424 million is for six "seats" and training and adds to an earlier deal to carry NASA astronauts until 2016.  The new deal extension equates to a per seat price of $70.7 million - an increase of $10 million over the previous NASA Soyuz seat buy.  NASA found itself forced into this position as its commercial crew capability will now not be ready until 2017 at the earliest and NASA needed to book these seats to cover itself until mid-2017.

NASA's Administrator Charles Bolden notes the delay to US provided commercial crew capability has been down to funding reductions forced on the administration.

Comment by David Todd: There is a danger that the pressing need for a US commercial crew capability may force the hand of NASA into choosing one of its three remaining contenders (SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada) to fund over the others.  Of these, favourite for a funding boost is SpaceX which seems to be furthest down the road in having an unmanned version of its proposed crewed Dragon vehicle already flying, docking with and being recovered from the International Space Station.  Nevertheless, this may not be the best choice for the longer term.  

At 1225 GMT on 26 April the freighter spacecraft Progress M-019M successfully docked with the International Space Station.  This was despite having his Kurs A antenna jammed forward in launch configuration.   In the end, the automatic docking sequence worked correctly and the docking probe was not hindered.  Concerns nevertheless remain that damage might yet be caused to the International Space Station during its eventual departure if the antenna is not retracted.

A Russian Soyuz 2-1B Fregat launch vehicle successfully launched the Glonass M47 satellite at 0523 GMT on 26 April from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Northern Russia. The satellite which had a launch mass of 1415 kg and a design life of seven years will be placed in Plane One of the Glonass constellation to provide navigation services primarily for Russian Military forces. This launch will bring the number o navigation satellites in the Glonass constellation to 30 including those satellites that are in testing, maintenance and spares.

A Soyuz U launch vehicle successfully launched Progress M-019M (ISS-51P) on its mission to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome located near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan.   Aboard were 2.5 tons of cargo and supplies for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.  Due to orbital alignments, the passage to the space station will take the slower route lasting two days rather than the shorter six hour trip.   Soon after launch an issue was reported involving the failure to deploy of one of the antennas needed for the KURS automatic docking system.  Engineers are attempting to recover the antenna to its correct position

One of the KURS antennas is stuck in its folded/hinged forward in launch configuration.   Courtesy: NASA

Update: While the KURS system and hence antenna is not essential for docking (the craft can be remotely manually controlled and docked), analysis of the latest information from Russian space sources quoted by news agency Interfax is that the KURS antenna has to be locked into its correct deployment position if a docking is to occur.   In its current still folded position, it might physically interfere with the latching probe and pressurised seal of the docking system. One way round this would be for the Progress craft to approach close to the International Space Station and for a spacewalking astronaut to physically move the antenna to allow a final docking to take place.

A Soyuz 2-1A/Fregat was successfully launched at 1000 GMT on 19 April from the Baikonur launch base near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan. On board was the Bion M1 spacecraft which itself was carrying an animal payload (mice, gerbils, geckos, snails and fish) in a re-entry capsule which is expected to return in May after a 30 day flight.  In addition the following nanosatellites were also carried on the launch which will be released later from the outside of Bion M1. AIST satellite was built by TsSKB Progress to test out the new Stork bus design.Beesat 2 and 3 were earth obseravation cubesat satellites which are also testing out new technologies for cutesats.   Dove 2 is a technology test cubesat. OSSI-1 is an amateur research cubesat satellite incorporating a random number generator.SOMP is a small cubesat taking measurements of atomic and molecular oxygen.

The Soyuz TMA-08M/ISS-34S mission carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin and Pavel Vinogradov was launched successfully on a Soyuz FG rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (near Tyuratam) in Kazakhstan at 2043 GMT on 28 March 2013. Using a faster approach multi-burn rendezvous profile, the vessel managed to rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station's Poisk module at 0228 GMT, only 5 hours 45 minutes after launch from Baikonur. This launch was the first time the rapid rendezvous technique was used for a manned launch, cutting two days from the usual rendezvous time. This new technique was first tested on three previous Progress cargo craft launches.

NASA has released film of the Soyuz FG rocket carrying the Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft being transported via train to its launch pad in Kazakhstan. The flight to the International Space Station is due to lift off on 28 March using the new shorter transport time approach.  The spacecraft will have Cosmonaut and Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy and Cosmonaut Flight Engineer Alexander Misurkin aboard.

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin were successfully landed aboard the Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft at 0305 GMT on 16 March near Arkalyk in Kazakhstan.   The landing took place a day late after a snow storm had delayed their landing from the day before.  Even on the landing day, snow made it difficult for some of the rescue helicopters to reach the capsule.   The night previously, the capsule had undocked from the International Space Station at 2343 GMT on 15 March.

The planned undocking and return to Earth of the three-man Soyuz TMA-06M/ISS-32M spacecraft which is currently docked with the International Space Station, was delayed one day to 15 March due to poor weather (snow storm) at the planned landing site in Kazakhstan.  Such delays have happened before.  Soyuz TMA-13/ISS-17S was similarly delayed in April 2009.

Having proved the concept on previous Progress cargo missions, Roscosmos and NASA have agreed that the next Soyuz manned space mission, Soyuz TMA-08M, will use a fast rendezvous approach method to reduce its launch-to-docking time with the International Space Station from two days to less than six hours.  The Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft will be launched at 2043 GMT on 28 March, shortly after the International Space Station passes over the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan.

The previous slower method is more fuel efficent and allowed more time for the crew to become used to the microgravity environment.  Nevertheless, the Soyuz spacecraft remans a cramped and unconfortable place to be for long periods of time and for crew comfort, it has been decided to go for the shorter if more complicated method.