Soyuz_TMA-15M

Soyuz TMA-15M

Soyuz TMA-15M

2014 Russian crewed spaceflight to the ISS

Soyuz TMA-15M was a 2014 flight to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 42 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-15M was the 124th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first flight launching in 1967. The Soyuz remained docked to the space station for the Expedition 43 increment, serving as an emergency escape vehicle until departing and returning to Earth as scheduled in June 2015.

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Crew

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Backup crew

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Mission highlights

Launch, rendezvous and docking

Soyuz TMA-15M launched successfully aboard a Soyuz-FG rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 21:01 UTC on Sunday, 23 November 2014. The spacecraft reached low Earth orbit approximately nine minutes after lift-off. After executing rendezvous maneuvers, the Soyuz docked with the International Space Station at 02:49 UTC on 24 November, with hatch opening occurring at 05:00 UTC.[4]

Soyuz TMA-15M was scheduled to remain docked to the ISS—serving as an emergency escape vehicle, planned to be on-board until May 2015. The landing was delayed until June 2015,[1] when it was set to depart and return Shkaplerov, Cristoforetti and Virts to Earth.

Cristoforetti commemorated the spaceflight by gifting three Lego minifigures of herself, Virts and Shkaplerov to the other members of the Expedition 42 crew. They had been commissioned by ESA and built by a British custom Lego kitmaker.[5]

Undocking and return to Earth

Soyuz TMA-15M accidentally fired its engines one day before undocking. The one minute burn slightly shifted ISS position.

Soyuz TMA-15M undocked from the ISS at 10:20 UTC on 11 June 2015, containing Shkaplerov, Cristoforetti, and Virts. Following a deorbit burn, the Soyuz spacecraft's descent module reentered the Earth's atmosphere. The crew landed safely in Kazakhstan at 13:44 UTC on 11 June, just over three hours after departing the ISS.

  • Rollout of Soyuz TMA-15M rocket.
  • Soyuz TMA-15M on the launch pad after rollout.
  • Crew of Soyuz TMA-15M wave to spectators before launch.
  • Soyuz TMA-15M launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
  • TMA-15M lands in Kazakhstan.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soyuz TMA-15M.
  1. [1]
    NASA (2015). "International Space Station Partners Adjust Spacecraft Schedule".
  2. [2]
    Планируемые полёты (in Russian). astronaut.ru. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. [3]
    astronaut.ru (2013). "Орбитальные полёты".
  4. [4]
    Clark, Stephen. "Live coverage: US-Russian-Italian crew set for Soyuz launch". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  5. [5]
    "Astronauts get their own LEGO minifigures on space station". collectSPACE.com. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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