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| Expedition 26 | |
|---|---|
| Mission | Expedition 26 |
| Mission type | Long-duration ISS expedition |
| Start date | 2010-12-26 UTC |
| End date | 2011-03-16 UTC |
| Space station | International Space Station |
| Previous mission | Expedition 25 |
| Next mission | Expedition 27 |
Expedition 26 was the 26th long-duration crew increment aboard the International Space Station following Expedition 25 and preceding Expedition 27. The increment involved multinational personnel from Roscosmos, NASA, JAXA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency and partners, and operated while the STS-133 and STS-134 Shuttle programs were active, overlapping with visits by Soyuz TMA-20, Soyuz TMA-01M, and other transport vehicles.
The increment began after handover procedures defined by NASA and Roscosmos involving crews launched on Soyuz spacecraft and overlapping with missions planned by European Space Agency and JAXA. The primary crew complement consisted of flight engineers and commanders with prior flights to Mir and the International Space Station including personnel who trained at Star City (Russia), Johnson Space Center, Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and European Astronaut Centre. Crew members represented agencies such as Roscosmos, NASA, European Space Agency, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency, and had backgrounds linking them to programs like Soyuz TMA-01M, Soyuz TMA-20, STS-133, and Expedition 25 flight rosters.
Mission objectives followed strategic plans set by NASA and Roscosmos and incorporated science goals from partners including ESA and JAXA. Objectives emphasized microgravity research connected to experiments from European Space Agency laboratories, biomedical investigations from NASA centers, materials science from JAXA payloads, and technology validations tied to Canadian Space Agency hardware and Russian Academy of Sciences investigations. Timeline milestones included the arrival of logistics vehicles tied to Progress M-09M and coordination with planned Space Shuttle flights such as STS-133 and STS-134, as well as scheduled crew rotations using Soyuz TMA vehicles.
Crew launch events occurred using Soyuz-FG rockets from Baikonur Cosmodrome and integrated launch campaigns coordinated by Roscosmos, Roskosmos partner contractors, TsSKB-Progress, and support teams at Mission Control Center (Moscow) and Mission Control Center (Houston). Docking operations involved automated systems like Kurs and manual backup procedures derived from prior Soyuz and Progress rendezvous tests, with station berthing operations overseen by flight controllers from NASA and Roscosmos. On-orbit operations included routine maintenance referencing heritage systems from Zarya, Zvezda, Destiny Laboratory Module, and Harmony (node) along with payload operations for facilities such as Kibo, Columbus (ISS module), and experiments delivered by HTV and Progress vehicles.
Extravehicular activities were planned in coordination with NASA Extravehicular Mobility Unit procedures, Russian Orlan suit operations, and EVA training conducted at Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and Hydrolab facilities. Science experiments encompassed biological payloads from NASA Ames Research Center, materials investigations associated with European Space Agency programs, plant growth studies from JAXA projects, and technology demonstrations tied to CSA payloads and instrumentation connected to Russian Academy of Sciences laboratories. Results contributed to longer-term studies led by organizations including American Society for Gravitational and Space Research and academic institutions affiliated with MIT, Stanford University, University of Tokyo, and University of Colorado researchers.
The increment saw visits by multiple crewed and uncrewed vehicles such as Soyuz TMA-20, Soyuz TMA-01M, Progress M-08M, Progress M-09M, and visiting logistics flights coordinated with Roscosmos and NASA manifest planning. Crew exchanges followed procedures tested during prior handovers like those for Expedition 24 and Expedition 25, and were integrated with visiting Shuttle logistics from STS-133 and mission planning from Kennedy Space Center and JSC flight director teams. International cargo support included vehicles from JAXA HTV programs, European resupply concepts tied to ATV heritage, and commercial resupply initiatives later pursued by companies related to SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation.
The expedition managed contingencies including brief anomalies involving station subsystems that invoked responses from Mission Control Center (Houston), TsUP, and engineering teams at RKK Energia and Boeing heritage contractors. Redundant systems such as Elektron oxygen generators, thermal control loops, and power arrays derived from Zvezda and Solar Array Wings were monitored, with corrective actions reflecting lessons from incidents on Mir and earlier International Space Station increments. Data collection and telemetry analysis were handled by science operations centers at NASA Ames Research Center, ESA Mission Control Centre, and partner laboratories to diagnose and mitigate technical issues.
The increment concluded with a formal handover to crews launching for the subsequent expedition, following deorbit and landing procedures for Soyuz spacecraft at designated recovery zones managed by Roscosmos and recovery teams affiliated with EMERCOM of Russia and NASA. Legacy outcomes included scientific datasets archived at NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive and European repositories, operational experience informing Expedition 27 planning, and continued international cooperation among Roscosmos, NASA, ESA, JAXA, and CSA. Lessons influenced later programs such as Commercial Resupply Services, Commercial Crew Program, and designs for future exploration initiatives including Lunar Gateway concepts and Artemis program logistics.