Twitter





Soyuz-11

Soyuz-11



 

7K-9K

insider content

7K-OK

A Soyuz 7K-OK spacecraft is being preapred for flight. RussianSpaceWeb.com archive


The Soyuz spacecraft with the passive docking port. Credit: MAI


7K

A "dissected" version of the Soyuz spacecraft and its launch vehicle in a classroom of Moscow Aviation Institute, a major school for future rocket scientists. Click to enlarge Copyright © 2000 Anatoly Zak


Soyuz-3

The reentry capsule of the Soyuz-3 spacecraft. The cover of the parachute container is in the foreground. The opening of the parachute container can be seen on the left side of the capsule. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak


Lunar Soyuz

A dissected Soyuz reentry vehicle (left) and habitable section (partially visible). Copyright © 2000 Anatoly Zak


7K-TM

A 7K-TM version of the Soyuz spacecraft designed for a joint mission with a US Apollo spacecraft. Copyright © 2011 Anatoly Zak


soyuz-tm

A Soyuz TM spacecraft.


The Soyuz TM spacecraft photographed by a Shuttle crew at the docking port of the Mir space station. Credit: NASA


The Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft docked at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA


A simulator of the Soyuz TM spacecraft used for cosmonaut training. Copyright © 2000 Anatoly Zak


The longest serving manned spacecraft in the world, the Soyuz was originally conceived in Sergei Korolev's OKB-1 design bureau for the Soviet effort to explore the Moon at the beginning of the 1960s. However, long after the Moon race was over, the Soyuz continued ferrying Russian crews to the Salyut and Almaz orbital stations, as well as it performed several solo flights and the historic docking with the US Apollo spacecraft in 1975.


The origin of the Soyuz spacecraft

Unlike one-man Vostok spacecraft, the three-seat Soyuz would be able to conduct active maneuvering, orbital rendezvous and docking. These features were all necessary for a flight around the Moon and for lunar expedition itself. In the early scenario of "circumlunar" flight, the Soyuz would be actually a three-part spacecraft assembled in the low-Earth orbit from components delivered by separate launch vehicles. The 7K spacecraft would carry the crew, while the 9K propulsion stage would be fueled by 11K tankers. The manned 7K vehicle was to be equipped with S5.35 propulsion system, while S5.36 and S3.37 would propel the 9K and 11K vehicles.

This plan was later abandoned in favor of a two-launch and, later, one-launch scenario.

For the expedition to the lunar surface, Korolev's bureau adopted the plan similar to one used in the Apollo program: a mother spacecraft and a lander would separate in the lunar orbit and the lander would deliver an "expedition" to the surface. The lander would then blast off from the Moon, enter lunar orbit, where it would meet and dock with the mother spacecraft. In this plan, a two-seat Soyuz would play a role of the "mother ship."

An "abbreviated" version of the Soyuz spacecraft, designated L1, was developed for the circumlunar flight onboard the Proton rocket. Commonly known as Zond, the L1 spacecraft was essentially Soyuz, where its habitation module was replaced with a smaller instrumentation package.

One more variation of Soyuz was also under development in the mid-1960 specifically for the missions in Earth orbit. Designated 7K-OK, it would be used for "rehearsals" of rendezvous operations necessary for the lunar expedition.

The early flights

In the competitive atmosphere of the Moon Race, the first test flights of the Soyuz were hastily conducted in 1966 with mixed results. Despite earlier problems, Vladimir Komarov blasted off onboard Soyuz-1 on April 23, 1967, for an ambitious mission, calling for orbital rendezvous and docking with the second Soyuz scheduled to follow Soyuz-1. The problems onboard Soyuz-1 forced to cancel the second mission, while Soyuz-1 flight itself ended in a disaster during landing. The problems with the parachute deployment caused the Soyuz-1 reentry capsule hit the ground with a crashing speed, killing Komarov.

In the wake of the catastrophe, a series of unmanned missions followed, during which two pairs of vehicles docked in orbit automatically. The manned missions resumed in October 1968.

The Soyuz for the station

As financial and technical problems held the USSR behind the US in the Moon Race, the leaders of the Soviet space industry had to look for a new direction in the manned space program. Since the end of 1960, the new version of the Soyuz spacecraft emerged, which would transport the crews to the Earth-orbiting space laboratories. In 1971, a three-seat Soyuz delivered the first crew to the original Salyut space station. But a new disaster hit when the first Salyut crew returned from orbit. The sudden depressurization of the reentry capsule killed three cosmonauts onboard. As a result of the tragedy, the designers introduced a protective pressure suits at the expense of one crew seat. Two-seat Soyuz spacecraft then continued ferrying the crews to Salyut and Almaz space stations.

The Soyuz T and TM versions

The Soyuz T version of the spacecraft flew its first piloted mission in 1980, and since 1986 the Soyuz TM modification of the spacecraft has been delivering crews to the Mir space station. The modifications featured multiple improvements in the design, including the introduction of the new weight-saving computerized flight-control system and improved emergency escape system. These upgrades allowed to increase the crew to three, while the crewmembers could be still protected with pressure suits.

RKK Energia also developed another version of the spacecraft, known as Soyuz TMA, or "anthropometric," to address the issues raised during US-Russian cooperative program. "Anthropometric" upgrades would remove the limitations for the height of the crewmembers onboard the Soyuz and as a result, would allow using the TMA version as a "lifeboat" for the International Space Station. The production of the TMA spacecraft, however, was stalled by non-payments by the Russian government to the RKK Energia at the end of the 1990s. Ironically, NASA, which originally ordered the upgrades also refused to pay for the development of the TMA, until Russia insured the production of the spacecraft.


The overview of the Soyuz variants:

Project (official) name Development name(s) First launch Principal developer Description
Soyuz
7K-9K-11K
-
OKB-1
An original version of the Soyuz spacecraft for circumlunar flight involving docking of three elements in Earth orbit.
Soyuz
7K
-
OKB-1
Concept of a three-man spacecraft for Earth-orbit missions
Soyuz 7K-OK
7K-OK (11F615)
1966
OKB-1
The Soyuz for orbital flight around Earth.
Soyuz
7K-T
-
OKB-1
Crew vehicle for the Salyut space station.
Soyuz VI
7K-VI
-
OKB-1
Soyuz-based complex for military purposes
-
OIS
-
KF-OKB-1
Orbital Research Station under development in 1967 - 1970 by Kyibushev (Samara) Branch of OKB-1
Soyuz
7K-S
-
OKB-1
Soyuz version for docking with OIS
-
LK-1
-
OKB-52
Spacecraft for circumlunar missions
Zond
1967
TsKBEM
Spacecraft for circumlunar missions
-
L3 (LOK/LK)
-
TsKBEM
Complex for trans-lunar flight and Moon landing
Soyuz T
7-KT
-
TsKBEM
-
Soyuz TM
7K-STM
-
NPO Energia
-
Soyuz TMA
7K-STMA
-
RKK Energia
-
Soyuz TMA-M
-
-
RKK Energia
-
Soyuz MS
-
2016 July 7
RKK Energia
Upgraded systems: Kurs-NA rendezvous system | Power supply system | EKTS satellite communications system | Propulsion system | SZI-M "Black box"

 

SOYUZ MISSION DETAILS:

Moon Race era (1966-1970): Soyuz-1 - Soyuz-9

Soyuz 7K-OK series:

Salyut era (1971-1985): Soyuz-10 - Soyuz T-14

Mir era (1986-2000): Soyuz T-15 - Soyuz TM-30

International Space Station era (2000-present): from Soyuz TM-31

Soyuz TMA series:

  • Soyuz TMA-1 (A Russo-Belgian commercial mission)
  • Soyuz TMA-2 (The 7th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-3 (The 8th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-4 (The 9th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-5 (The 10th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-6 (The 11th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-7 (The 12th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-8 (The 13th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-9 (The 14th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-10 (The 15th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-11 (The 16th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-12 (The 17th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-13 (The 18th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-14 (The 19/20th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-15 (The 20/21th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-16 (The 21/22th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-17 (The 22/23th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-18 (The 23/24th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-19 (The 24/25th long-duration expedition to the ISS)

Soyuz TMA-M series:

  • Soyuz TMA-01M (The 25/26th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-20 (The 26/27th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-21 (The 27/28th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-02M (The 27/28th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-22 (The 29/30th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-03M (The 30/31st long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-04M (The 31/32nd long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-05M (The 32/33rd long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-06M (The 33/34th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-07M (The 34/35th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-08M (The 35/36th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-09M (The 36/37th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-10M (The 37/38th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-11M (The 38/39th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-12M (The 39/40th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-13M (The 40/41th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-14M (The 41/42nd long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-15M (The 42/43rd long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-16M (The 43rd long-duration expedition to the ISS, the "Year in Space" mission)
  • Soyuz TMA-17M (The 44/45th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-18M (The 45/46th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-19M (The 46/47th long-duration expedition to the ISS)
  • Soyuz TMA-20M (The 47/48th long-duration expedition to the ISS)

Soyuz MS series:


PROPOSALS FOR RADICAL SOYUZ UPGRADES:

The ACTS project

Orbital tug


This page is maintained by Anatoly Zak

Last update: March 20, 2024