Tag: Soyuz
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Russian spacewalkers carve away at Soyuz spaceship to inspect plugged hole
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko uses a cutting tool to open up the Soyuz spacecraft’s external cover, at bottom, while crewmate Sergey Prokopyev looks on. (NASA TV via YouTube) During an extraordinary spacewalk, two Russian cosmonauts used sharp objects today to cut away layers of protective insulation on a Soyuz capsule and take samples of sealant…
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Arianespace Soyuz ST-B launches Metop-C
Arianespace launched a new European weather satellite Tuesday, using a Soyuz rocket to deploy the Metop-C spacecraft into orbit around the Earth. Liftoff from the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana, occurred at 21:47:27 local time (00:47 UTC on Wednesday). The Meteorological Operational (Metop) satellites are operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation…
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Soyuz 2-1b launches Uragan-M GLONASS satellite
A Russian Soyuz-2-1b rocket launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome Saturday night, deploying a replacement satellite for the GLONASS navigation system with the aid of a Fregat-M upper stage. Liftoff is due to take place at 23:17 Moscow Time (20:17 UTC), beginning a three-and-a-half hour journey to the spacecraft’s destination orbit. Russia’s GLONASS navigation system is…
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Russians trace Soyuz rocket failure to a bent sensor; next crew to launch Dec. 3
Russian investigators say last month’s launch of a Soyuz rocket carrying two spacefliers to the International Space Station went awry because a sensor that was bent during the rocket’s assembly spoiled the separation of one of its boosters. When the damaged sensor malfunctioned, the booster didn’t separate cleanly from the Soyuz’s core, throwing the rocket…
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Soyuz MS-10 abort caused by sensor failure at booster separation
Russian investigators have concluded last month’s Soyuz MS-10 abort was caused by a sensor failure on one of the four Soyuz FG boosters. The sensor, which triggers LOX valves to vent on the top of the booster – allowing them to cleanly depart from the core – resulted in the booster sliding down the side…
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Russia returns Soyuz rocket to flight with Lotos-S1 mission
Russia’s Soyuz rocket has returned to flight with the successful launch of a Lotos reconnaissance satellite Thursday, two weeks after its failed launch of the Soyuz MS-10 mission. Soyuz lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 03:15 Moscow Time (00:15 UTC) on Thursday, deploying its payload into orbit about ten minutes later. Thursday’s launch has…
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Russia returns Soyuz rocket to flight with Lotos-S1 mission
Russia’s Soyuz rocket has returned to flight with the successful launch of a Lotos reconnaissance satellite Thursday, two weeks after its failed launch of the Soyuz MS-10 mission. Soyuz lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 03:15 Moscow Time (00:15 UTC) on Thursday, deploying its payload into orbit about ten minutes later. Thursday’s launch has…
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NASA and Roscosmos trying to avoid an empty Space Station
Following the failure of the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft to deliver Aleksey Nikolayevich Ovchinin and Nick Hague to the International Space Station last week, the orbital outpost is now left with two fewer crew members than planned. NASA now must assess their options for keeping the station occupied, pending Roscosmos’ updated launch schedule once the investigation…
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Russian rocket malfunctions during launch to space station; crew makes safe landing
An American and a Russian spaceflier are in good shape after they were forced to abort their trip to the International Space Station due to a rocket anomaly, but today’s scary launch has cast a pall over orbital operations going forward. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin were due to begin a…
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Soyuz FG fails during ascent – Soyuz MS-10 crew safe after ballistic entry abort
The Russian federal space agency, Roscosmos, launched their Soyuz MS-10 crew vehicle with two new crewmembers that were set for the International Space Station. However, the launch – which took place on Thursday at 0840 UTC from Baikonur – failed a few minutes into flight. Soyuz MS-10 was then aborted on a ballistic entry, before safely…