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 during preflight checks | |
| Mission type | ISS crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | Roscosmos |
| COSPAR ID | 2016-063A |
| SATCAT no. | 41820 |
| Mission duration | 173 days 3 hours 16 minutes 21 seconds [1] |
| Distance travelled | 118 million kilometers |
| Orbits completed | 2,768 [1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz MS |
| Spacecraft type | Soyuz MS 11F732A48 |
| Manufacturer | Energia |
| Launch mass | 7080 kg |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | Sergey Ryzhikov Andrei Borisenko Shane Kimbrough |
| Callsign | Favor |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 October 2016, 08:05:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-FG |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 31 |
| Contractor | Progress |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 10 April 2017, 11:20 UTC |
| Landing site | Steppes of the Kazakhstan |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | Poisk zenith |
| Docking date | 21 October 2016, 09:52 UTC |
| Undocking date | 10 April 2017, 07:57 UTC |
| Time docked | 171 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
editDuring 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 | Expedition 49 First spaceflight | |
| Flight Engineer 1 | Expedition 49 Second and last spaceflight | |
| Flight Engineer 2 | Expedition 49 Second spaceflight | |
Backup crew
edit| Position[10] | Crew Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | ||
| Flight Engineer 1 | ||
| Flight Engineer 2 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "Afternoon Soyuz Touchdown Caps Half-Year Space Mission for Russian-American Crew Trio". spaceflight101.com. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ Derek Richardson (17 September 2016). "Soyuz MS-02 Launch Postponed for Technical Reasons". spaceflightinsider.com. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ Ben Evans. "50th Long-Duration Crew Launches to Space Station". AmericaSpace. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ Sarah Lewin (19 October 2016). "Liftoff! Soyuz Rocket Launches US-Russian Space Station Crew Into Orbit". Space.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ "Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft docks with Expedition 49/50 crew". nasaspaceflight.com. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft docks with Expedition 49/50 crew". nasaspaceflight.com. 21 October 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Soyuz capsule suffered partial depressurization during April landing". spacenews.com. SpaceNews. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ Планируемые полёты (in Russian). astronaut.ru. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ astronaut.ru (2015). "Планируемые полёты" (in Russian).