NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Soyuz TMA-16

Launch Time
Wed Sep 30, 2009 07:14 UTC

Rocket

Soyuz FG
Roscosmos
Status: Retired
Liftoff Thrust: 4,550 kN
Payload to LEO: 7,300 kg
Payload to GTO: 0 kg
Stages: 3
Strap-ons: 4
Rocket Height: 51.32 m
Fairing Diameter: 3.0 m
Fairing Height: 15.59 m

Mission Details

Soyuz TMA-16

The Soyuz TMA-16 (Russian: Союз TMA-16) was a crewed flight to and from the International Space Station (ISS). It transported two members of the Expedition 21 crew and a Canadian entrepreneur from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the ISS. TMA-16 was the 103rd flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first flight launching in 1967. The launch of Soyuz TMA-16 marked the first time since 1969 that three Soyuz craft were in orbit simultaneously.

Guy Laliberté, founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, was a spaceflight participant aboard TMA-16 during its flight to the ISS, paying approximately US$35 million for his seat through the American firm Space Adventures. He returned on board the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft left as an emergency vehicle during that previous flight. The Soyuz TMA-16 flight spacecraft flew back to Earth with only two crew members.

The Soyuz is a Soviet crewed spacecraft, developed to perform lunar missions with crew. This version called 7K will fly 4 times on the giant launcher N1, and several tens of times on Proton to fly over the Moon, which will be successful during the mission Zond 4. Soyuz will become the first spacecraft to transport living beings on the Moon during the flight of Zond 5, with two turtles. Thereafter, it is adapted to the low orbit and will fly on the Soyuz launcher to supply the Soviet Salyut and Mir stations, and the ISS.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 7,280.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit

Location

Site 1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Stats

2009

56th orbital launch attempt

Soyuz FG

28th mission
3rd mission of 2009
28th successful mission