Human spaceflight programme of the Soviet Union
Soyuz programme Artist's impression of the Soyuz 19 spacecraft from the
Apollo–Soyuz mission
Program overview Country Soviet Union Russia Organization Roscosmos (1991–present)Status Ongoing Programme history First crewed flight Soyuz 1 Launch site(s) Baikonur Vehicle information Uncrewed vehicle(s) Progress Crewed vehicle(s) Soyuz Crew capacity 1–3 Launch vehicle(s)
TheSoyuz programme (/ˈ s ɔɪ juː z SOY -yooz/ˈ s ɔː SAW -Союз [sɐˈjus] human spaceflight programme initiated by theSoviet Union in the early 1960s. The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of aMoon landing project intended to put a Sovietcosmonaut on theMoon .[ 1] human spaceflight programme after theVostok (1961–1963) andVoskhod (1964–1965) programmes.[ 2]
The programme consists of theSoyuz capsule and theSoyuz rocket and is now the responsibility ofRoscosmos .[ 3] [ 4] Space Shuttle in 2011, the Soyuz was the only way for humans to get to theInternational Space Station (ISS) until 30 May 2020 whenCrew Dragon flew to the ISS for the first time with astronauts.[ 4] [ 5]
Soyuz TMA-13 lifting off fromGagarin's Start at Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2008Soyuz rocket on launch pad This section
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The launch vehicles used in the Soyuzexpendable launch system are manufactured at theProgress State Research and Production Rocket Space Center (TsSKB-Progress) inSamara, Russia . As well as being used in the Soyuz programme as the launcher for the crewed Soyuz spacecraft, Soyuz launch vehicles are now also used to launch roboticProgress supply spacecraft to theInternational Space Station and commercial launches marketed and operated by TsSKB-Progress and theStarsem company. Currently Soyuz vehicles are launched from theBaikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and thePlesetsk Cosmodrome in northwest Russia and, since 2011, Soyuz launch vehicles are also being launched from theGuiana Space Centre in French Guiana.[ 6] new Soyuz launch site has been handling Soyuz launches since 21 October 2011, the date of the first launch.[ 7] Guiana Soyuz launches had been made fromFrench Guiana Space Centre , all successful.[ 8] [ 9] [ 10]
TheSoyuz rocket family is one of the most dependable and widely utilized launch vehicles in the history of space travel. It has been in operation for nearly six decades, having been developed by theSoviet Union and presently run byRussia . The Soyuz rockets have played an important role in both crewed and uncrewed space missions, launching people to theInternational Space Station (ISS) and delivering satellites and scientific payloads.[ 11]
The basicSoyuz spacecraft design was the basis for many projects, many of which were never developed. Its earliest form was intended to travel to the Moon without employing a huge booster like theSaturn V or the SovietN-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 DesignerSergei Pavlovich Korolev , who did not live to see the craft take flight. Several military derivatives took precedence in the Soviet design process, though they never came to pass.
A Soyuz spacecraft consists of three parts (from front to back):
There have been many variants of the Soyuz spacecraft, including:
Sever early crewed spacecraft proposal to replace Vostok (1959)L1-1960 crewed circumlunar spacecraft proposal (1960); evolved into the Soyuz-A designL4-1960 crewed lunar orbiter proposal (1960)L1-1962 crewed lunar flyby spacecraft proposal (1962); early design led to SoyuzOS-1962 space station proposal (1962)Soyuz-A 7K-9K-11K circumlunar complex proposal (1963)Soyuz 7K crewed spacecraft concept; cancelled in 1964 in favor of theLK-1 Soyuz 9K proposed orbital tug; cancelled in 1964 when the Soyuz 7K and Soyuz P were cancelledSoyuz 11K proposed fuel tanker; cancelled in 1964 when the Soyuz 7K and Soyuz P were cancelledL3-1963 crewed lunar lander proposal (1963)L4-1963 crewed lunar orbiter proposal; modified 7K (1963)Soyuz 7K-OK (1967–1970)Soyuz 7K-T or "ferry" (1973–1981)Soyuz 7K-T-AF (1973); 7K-T modified for space station flight with Orion 2 space telescopeSoyuz 7K-T/A9 (1974–1978); 7K-T modified for flights to military Almaz space stationsSoyuz 7K-TM (1974–1976)7K-MF6 (1976); 7K-TM modified for space station flight with MKF-6 cameraSoyuz-T (1976–1986)Zarya planned 'Super Soyuz' replacement for Soyuz and Progress (1985)Alpha Lifeboat rescue spacecraft based on Zarya (1995); cancelled in favor of a modified Soyuz TMBig Soyuz enlarged version of Soyuz reentry vehicle (2008)Soyuz-TM (1986–2003)Soyuz TMA (2003–2012)Soyuz-ACTS (2006)Soyuz TMA-M (2010–2016)Soyuz MS (since 2016)Military Soyuz (P, PPK, R, 7K-VI Zvezda, and OIS)Soyuz P crewed satellite interceptor proposal (1962); cancelled in 1964 in favor of theIstrebitel Sputnikov programSoyuz R command-reconnaissance spacecraft proposal (1962); cancelled in 1966 and replaced by AlmazThe Soyuz MS spacecraft and its Soyuz FG rocket Soyuz 7K-TK transport spacecraft proposal for delivering cosmonauts to Soyuz R military stations (1966); cancelled in 1970 in favor of the TKS spacecraftSoyuz PPK revised version of Soyuz P (1964)Soyuz 7K-VI Zvezda space station proposal (1964)Soyuz-VI crewed combat spacecraft proposal; cancelled in 1965Soyuz OIS (1967)TheZond spacecraft was designed to take a crew around the Moon, but never achieved the required degree of safety or political need.Zond 5 did circle the Moon in September 1968, with two tortoises and other life forms, and returned safely to Earth although in anatmospheric entry which probably would have killed human travelers.
TheProgress series of robotic cargo ships for theSalyut ,Mir , and ISS use the engine section, orbital module, automatic navigation, docking mechanism, and overall layout of the Soyuz spacecraft, but are incapable of reentry.
While not a direct derivative, the ChineseShenzhou spacecraft follows the basic template originally pioneered by Soyuz.[ 12] [ 13]
Soyuz crewed flights [ edit ] Soyuz uncrewed flights [ edit ] ^ Harland, David M."Soyuz" .Encyclopedia Britannica .Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved20 February 2022 . ^ Hendrickx, Bart (2018)."Russian Life Support Systems: Vostok, Voskhod, and Soyuz" . In Seedhouse, Erik; Shayler, David J. (eds.).Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and Extraterrestrial Habitats . Springer International Publishing. pp. 1– 15.doi :10.1007/978-3-319-09575-2_39-1 .ISBN 978-3-319-09575-2 Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved20 February 2022 . ^ Wild, Flint (27 June 2018)."What Is the Soyuz Spacecraft?" .NASA .Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved20 February 2022 . ^a b O'Callaghan, Jonathan (9 April 2020)."The Last Soyuz - NASA Ends Reliance On Russia With Final Launch Before Crew Dragon" .Forbes .Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved20 February 2022 . ^ Luscombe, Richard; Sample, Ian (30 May 2020)."SpaceX successfully launches Nasa astronauts into orbit" .The Guardian Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved20 February 2022 . ^ "Soyuz & Vega at the Spaceport" . Archived fromthe original on 15 April 2009.^ "Galileo: Europe readies itself for October launch" .Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved5 June 2011 .^ "CNES at Europe's Spaceport" .European Space Agency . ESA.Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved26 December 2019 .^ "ESA at Europe's Spaceport" .European Space Agency . ESA.Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved26 December 2019 .^ "Arianespace at Europe's Spaceport" .European Space Agency . ESA.Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved26 December 2019 .^ NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) (1 January 2010).NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 20100014848: Estimating the Reliability of a Soyuz Spacecraft Mission ^ Shenzhou-5 – Quick Facts Archived 1 February 2010 at theWayback Machine . Astronautix.com. Retrieved on 23 October 2013.^ "ShenZhou Manned Spacecraft" . sinodefence.com. Archived fromthe original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved18 May 2021 .^ "Launch and Landing" . NASA.Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved1 July 2011 .^ Oberhaus, Daniel."SpaceX Launched Two Astronauts—Changing Spaceflight Forever" .Wired .Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved31 May 2020 . ^ "LA times, U.S.-Russian Crew Blasts Off to Space, By David Holley, 26 April 2003, Times Staff Writer" .Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved26 December 2019 .^ Beyond the Saga of Rocket Science: In Space to Stay, By Walter Sierra, page 225-226, 2019
Main topics Past missions
Current missions Future missions Uncrewed missions are designated asKosmos instead ofSoyuz ; exceptions are noted "(uncrewed)".Italics designates cancelled missions.
Early programme 7K series Later series Progress Other derivatives
Active In development Past Cancelled Moon: Zond (7K-L1) ,N1-L3 ,LK-700 ,Zvezda Interplanetary: TMK ,Aelita ,Martian Piloted Complex Spaceplanes: Spiral ,Energia /Buran ,MAKS ,Kliper ,LKS ,Tupolev Tu-2000 Capsules: Zvezda ,Zarya Space Stations: OPSEK Related
Launch sites Launch vehicles Human spaceflight
Past Cancelled Active In development
Robotic
Past Cancelled Active In development
Communications Concepts Images and artwork Related
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