Soyuz programme

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The Soyuz human spaceflight programme was initiated in the early 1960s as part of the manned lunar programme that was intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. The Soyuz spacecraft and the Soyuz launch vehicle are both part of this programme.

Contents 1 Objectives 2 First-generation vehicles (1967-1971) 3 Soyuz Ferry (1973-1981) 4 Soyuz-T (1976-1986) 5 Soyuz-TM (1986-2003) 6 Soyuz-TMA (2003- ) 7 Design 8 Soyuz manned flights 9 Soyuz unmanned flights

[edit] Objectives

The Moon objective was abandoned when technological problems meant that the US would reach the Moon first. Soyuz survived the demise of the manned lunar programme in that it developed into a variety of projects (both military and civilian), mostly in conjunction with space stations.

[edit] First-generation vehicles (1967-1971)

The manned Soyuz spacecraft can be classified into design generations. Soyuz 1 through 11 (1967-1971) were first-generation vehicles, carrying a crew of up to three without spacesuits and distinguished from those following by their bent solar panels and their use of the Igla automatic docking navigation system, which required special radar antennas. This first generation encompassed the original Soyuz and Salyut 1 Soyuz. Variations within it were primarily docking fixtures; the first nine examples had no internal hatch and crew transfer had to take place by means of spacewalks, employing spacesuits kept in the orbital module, which functioned as an airlock.

[edit] Soyuz Ferry (1973-1981)

The second generation, the Soyuz Ferry, comprised Soyuz 12 through 40 (1973-1981). Although still using the Igla system, these had no solar panels, employing batteries; the crew could now wear spacesuits throughout their flight, though their number was reduced to two.

[edit] Soyuz-T (1976-1986)

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Soyuz served as a technological bridge to the third generation Soyuz-T spacecraft (1976-1986). These used new flat solar panels and could carry a crew of three, now wearing spacesuits.

[edit] Soyuz-TM (1986-2003)

Soyuz-TM was fourth generation (1986-2003) and used for ferry flights to the Mir and ISS space stations. These had a new, more fault-tolerant automatic docking navigation system, called Kurs, meaning "course."

[edit] Soyuz-TMA (2003- )

The Soyuz-TMA (2003- ) is the latest design developed as a ferry craft and assured crew return vehicle for the International Space Station. Soyuz-TMA looks identical as a Soyuz-TM spacecraft on the outside, but in the interior, it is able to accommodate taller occupants with new adjustable crew couches. Also, the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft features glass cockpit interior, a first to expendable spacecraft vehicle and a first to the Soyuz spacecraft family to have the feature.

[edit] Design

The basic Soyuz design was the basis for many projects, many of which never came to light. Its earliest form was intended to travel to the moon without employing a huge booster like the Saturn V or the Soviet N-1 by repeatedly docking with upper stages that had been put in orbit using the same rocket as the Soyuz. This and the initial civilian designs were done under the Soviet Chief Designer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, who did not live to see the craft take flight. Several military derivatives actually took precedence in the Soviet design process, though they never came to pass. The Zond spacecraft was another derivative, designed to take a crew traveling in a figure-of-eight orbit around the Earth and the moon but never achieving the degree of safety or political need to be used for such. Finally, the Progress series of unmanned cargo ships for the Salyut and Mir space laboratories used the automatic navigation and docking mechanism, but not the re-entry capsule, of Soyuz.

As of 2006, Soyuz derivatives provide Russia's human spaceflight capability and are used to ferry personnel and supplies to and from the International Space Station.

[edit] Soyuz manned flights

Flights 1 - 20	Flights 21 - 40	Flights 41 - 60	Flights 61 - 80	Flights 81 - 100
1. Soyuz 1	21.Soyuz 22	41.Soyuz 39	61.Soyuz TM-8	81.Soyuz TM-28
2. Soyuz 3	22.Soyuz 23	42.Soyuz 40	62.Soyuz TM-9	82.Soyuz TM-29
3. Soyuz 4	23.Soyuz 24	43.Soyuz T-5	63.Soyuz TM-10	83.Soyuz TM-30
4. Soyuz 5	24.Soyuz 25	44.Soyuz T-6	64.Soyuz TM-11	84.Soyuz TM-31
5. Soyuz 6	25.Soyuz 26	45.Soyuz T-7	65.Soyuz TM-12	85.Soyuz TM-32
6. Soyuz 7	26.Soyuz 27	46.Soyuz T-8	66.Soyuz TM-13	86.Soyuz TM-33
7. Soyuz 8	27.Soyuz 28	47.Soyuz T-9	67.Soyuz TM-14	87.Soyuz TM-34
8. Soyuz 9	28.Soyuz 29	48.Soyuz T-10-1	68.Soyuz TM-15	88.Soyuz TMA-1
9. Soyuz 10	29.Soyuz 30	49.Soyuz T-10	69.Soyuz TM-16	89.Soyuz TMA-2
10.Soyuz 11	30.Soyuz 31	50.Soyuz T-11	70.Soyuz TM-17	90.Soyuz TMA-3
11.Soyuz 12	31.Soyuz 32	51.Soyuz T-12	71.Soyuz TM-18	91.Soyuz TMA-4
12.Soyuz 13	32.Soyuz 33	52.Soyuz T-13	72.Soyuz TM-19	92.Soyuz TMA-5
13.Soyuz 14	33.Soyuz 34	53.Soyuz T-14	73.Soyuz TM-20	93.Soyuz TMA-6
14.Soyuz 15	34.Soyuz 35	54.Soyuz T-15	74.Soyuz TM-21	94.Soyuz TMA-7
15.Soyuz 16	35.Soyuz 36	55.Soyuz TM-2	75.Soyuz TM-22	95.Soyuz TMA-8
16.Soyuz 17	36.Soyuz T-2	56.Soyuz TM-3	76.Soyuz TM-23	96.Soyuz TMA-9 (in progress)
17.Soyuz 18a	37.Soyuz 37	57.Soyuz TM-4	77.Soyuz TM-24	97.Soyuz TMA-10 (pending)
18.Soyuz 18	38.Soyuz 38	58.Soyuz TM-5	78.Soyuz TM-25	98.Soyuz TMA-11 (pending)
19.Soyuz 19	39.Soyuz T-3	59.Soyuz TM-6	79.Soyuz TM-26	99.Soyuz TMA-12 (pending)
20.Soyuz 21	40.Soyuz T-4	60.Soyuz TM-7	80.Soyuz TM-27	100.Soyuz TMA-13 (pending)

[edit] Soyuz unmanned flights

Flights 1 - 5	Flights 6 - 10	Flights 11 - 15	Flights 16 - 20	Flights 21 - 26
1. Cosmos 133	6. Cosmos 212	11.Cosmos 396	16.Cosmos 638	21.Soyuz 20
2. Launch failure	7. Cosmos 213	12.Cosmos 434	17.Cosmos 656	22.Cosmos 869
3. Cosmos 140	8. Cosmos 238	13.Cosmos 496	18.Cosmos 670	23.Cosmos 1001
4. Cosmos 186	9. Soyuz 2	14.Cosmos 573	19.Cosmos 672	24.Cosmos 1074
5. Cosmos 188	10. Cosmos 379	15. Cosmos 613	20. Cosmos 772	25. Soyuz T-1
				26. Soyuz TM-1

v • d • e  USSR (to 1991) and Russian government manned space programs

Active: Soyuz | ISS (joint)

In Development: Kliper

Past: Vostok | Voskhod | Salyut | Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (joint) | Mir

Cancelled: Zond (lunar Soyuz) | N1 rocket | Spiral | Almaz (incorporated into Salyut program) | Energia / Buran