Soyuz MS-02

Summary

Soyuz MS-02 was a 2016 Soyuz spaceflight that was planned for a 23 September 2016 launch, but because of technical difficulties it launched on 19 October 2016.[2][3] It transported three members of the Expedition 49 crew to orbit and docked with the International Space Station. Soyuz MS-02 was the 131st flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew consisted of a Russian commander and flight engineer, as well as an American flight engineer.[4][5] Soyuz MS-02 docked with Poisk (MRM-2) module on 21 October 2016.[6]

Soyuz MS-02
Soyuz MS-02 during preflight checks
Mission typeISS crew transport
OperatorRoskosmos
COSPAR ID2016-063A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.41820
Mission duration173 days 3 hours 16 minutes 21 seconds [1]
Distance travelled118 million kilometers
Orbits completed2,768 [1]
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz MS
Spacecraft typeSoyuz MS 11F732A48
ManufacturerRKK Energia
Launch mass7080 kg
Crew
Crew size3
MembersSergey Ryzhikov
Andrei Borisenko
Shane Kimbrough
CallsignFavor
Start of mission
Launch date19 October 2016, 08:05:00 UTC
RocketSoyuz-FG
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31
ContractorProgress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
Landing date10 April 2017, 11:20 UTC
Landing siteSteppes of the Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portPoisk zenith
Docking date21 October 2016, 09:52 UTC
Undocking date10 April 2017, 07:57 UTC
Time docked171 days

(l-r) Kimbrough, Ryzhikov and Borisenko
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)
 

Soyuz MS-02 returned to Earth on 10 April 2017.[7] During its descent, the capsule was partially depressurized when the main parachute deployed. The landing occurred at 11:20 UTC. The total flight duration was 173 days.

Partial depressurization edit

During the final stage of its descent, Soyuz MS-02 suffered a partial depressurization[8] about eight kilometers above the ground. When the main parachute was deployed, a buckle that was part of the deployment system struck a welding seam, partially depressurizing the capsule. The depressurization did not put the crew in danger as they were at a relatively safe height within the atmosphere when it occurred. Russian officials believe that the way the parachute was packed caused the buckle to strike the capsule.

Crew edit

Position[9] Crew Member
Commander   Sergey Ryzhikov, Roscosmos
Expedition 49
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1   Andrei Borisenko, Roscosmos
Expedition 49
Second and last spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2   Shane Kimbrough, NASA
Expedition 49
Second spaceflight

Backup crew edit

Position[10] Crew Member
Commander   Alexander Misurkin, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer 1   Nikolai Tikhonov, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer 2   Mark T. Vande Hei, NASA

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Afternoon Soyuz Touchdown Caps Half-Year Space Mission for Russian-American Crew Trio". spaceflight101.com. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. ^ Derek Richardson (17 September 2016). "Soyuz MS-02 Launch Postponed for Technical Reasons". spaceflightinsider.com. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  3. ^ Ben Evans. "50th Long-Duration Crew Launches to Space Station". AmericaSpace. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  4. ^ Sarah Lewin (19 October 2016). "Liftoff! Soyuz Rocket Launches US-Russian Space Station Crew Into Orbit". Space.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft docks with Expedition 49/50 crew". nasaspaceflight.com. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft docks with Expedition 49/50 crew". nasaspaceflight.com. 21 October 2016.
  7. ^ Garcia, Mark (12 February 2015). "Expedition 50". NASA. Retrieved 16 March 2017.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ "Soyuz capsule suffered partial depressurization during April landing". spacenews.com. SpaceNews. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  9. ^ Планируемые полёты (in Russian). astronaut.ru. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  10. ^ astronaut.ru (2015). "Планируемые полёты" (in Russian).