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| Soyuz TMA-16M | |
|---|---|
| Name | Soyuz TMA-16M |
| Mission type | Crewed transport |
| Operator | Roscosmos |
| Cospar id | 2015-018A |
| Satcat | 40500 |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz-TMA 11F732A47 |
| Manufacturer | RKK Energia |
| Launch date | 2015-03-27 UTC |
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 |
| Landing date | 2015-09-11 UTC |
| Landing site | 51°N 61°E (Kazakhstan) |
| Crew callsign | Oryol |
Soyuz TMA-16M was a 2015 Russian Soyuz crewed spacecraft mission that transported an international crew to and from the International Space Station. Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome and operated by Roscosmos in partnership with NASA, ESA, and national space agencies, the mission supported ongoing Expedition 43 and Expedition 44 operations aboard the station. The flight was part of the long-running Soyuz program continuing a lineage from the Soyuz 1 era through modernized TMA-series vehicles built by RKK Energia.
The mission carried a three-person crew composed of a Roscosmos commander, a NASA flight engineer, and an ESA astronaut under an international crew rotation schedule coordinated with JAXA and partner agencies. The commander was a Russian cosmonaut with prior flights in the Mir and ISS programs, the NASA member had served on prior long-duration missions, and the ESA crewmember was a long-duration expedition specialist flown as part of European Space Agency flight assignments. Crew selection followed training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and contingency simulation with the European Astronaut Centre and Johnson Space Center.
Soyuz TMA-16M used a modernized Soyuz-TMA spacecraft, an evolution of the Soyuz-TMA-M series produced by RKK Energia, featuring upgraded avionics and digital flight control inherited from programs such as Soyuz TMA-12M and Soyuz TMA-15M. The launch vehicle was a Soyuz-FG rocket launched from Site 1/5, Baikonur on 27 March 2015. Launch operations involved coordination between TsENKI, Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, and mission control at Korolyov, with trajectory insertion targeting the low Earth orbit parameters used for two-day and six-hour rendezvous profiles developed since the Soyuz TMA-08M fast rendezvous demonstrations.
After liftoff, the Soyuz performed nominal upper-stage burns leading to orbital insertion into a low-inclination profile matching the International Space Station rendezvous plane. The spacecraft executed a series of orbital adjustments guided by the onboard Kurs rendezvous system and monitored by flight controllers at Mission Control Center (Moscow). Docking occurred two days after launch, joining the crew to Expedition 43 complement aboard the station. During their stay, the crew participated in scientific investigations from institutions including European Space Agency laboratories, NASA research programs, and experiments sponsored by Roscosmos partners. The mission completed a long-duration increment encompassing handover activities with crews from Soyuz TMA-15M and subsequent relief by Soyuz TMA-17M.
Docking was conducted to the Rassvet or Poisk module berthing ports depending on station configuration, using automated systems with manual back-up procedures practiced by crews trained at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. On-orbit operations included maintenance work on the Zvezda service module systems, participation in Extravehicular Activity support for planned spacewalks, and utilization of facilities such as Kibo, Destiny, and Columbus for microgravity research. The crew supported investigations across disciplines ranging from life sciences overseen by European Space Agency and CSA partners to material science experiments conducted with hardware from JAXA and ESA institutes.
After approximately five-and-a-half months aboard the International Space Station, the crew undocked using the Soyuz descent module and performed deorbit burns to re-enter the atmosphere over Kazakhstan. The descent sequence followed established protocols developed since the early Soyuz 1 through the Soyuz TMA modernization program, culminating in a parachute-assisted touchdown on the Kazakh steppe. Recovery forces from Roscosmos and EMERCOM reached the crew and provided medical checks and crew debriefs before transfer to Star City for postflight rehabilitation and mission debriefings with representatives from NASA, ESA, and international partners.
The crew chose the callsign Oryol, reflecting Russian symbolic heritage and cosmonaut tradition traceable to early Vostok and Voskhod programs. The mission insignia combined iconography referencing the International Space Station, orbital trajectories, and national symbols of partner agencies including Russia, United States, and European Union member states. Crew members published postflight accounts and participated in public outreach coordinated with European Astronaut Centre, Johnson Space Center, and Russian cultural institutions, contributing to continuing documentation of human spaceflight achievements during the mid-2010s era.
Category:Soyuz missions Category:2015 in spaceflight