Soyuz TMA-15M

Soyuz TMA-15M was a 2014 flight to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 42 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-15M was the 124th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first flight launching in 1967. The Soyuz remained docked to the space station for the Expedition 43 increment, serving as an emergency escape vehicle until departing and returning to Earth as scheduled in June 2015.

Soyuz TMA-15M

Soyuz TMA-15M undocks from the ISS, 11 June 2015.
Mission type	ISS crew transport
Operator	Roscosmos
COSPAR ID	2014-074A
SATCAT no.	40312
Mission duration	199d 16h 42m 46s
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Soyuz 11F732A47 No.715
Spacecraft type	Soyuz-TMA 11F747
Manufacturer	Energia
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Anton Shkaplerov Samantha Cristoforetti Terry W. Virts, Jr.
Callsign	Астрей ("Astraeus")
Start of mission
Launch date	23 November 2014 21:00:14 UTC
Rocket	Soyuz-FG
Launch site	Baikonur 31/6
End of mission
Landing date	11 June 2015 13:44 UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Rassvet nadir
Docking date	24 November 2014 02:49 UTC
Undocking date	11 June 2015 10:20 UTC
Time docked	199 days, 7 hours, 31 minutes
(l-r) Shkaplerov, Cristoforetti and Virts Soyuz programme (Crewed missions)

Crew

Position	Crew Member
Commander	Anton Shkaplerov, Roscosmos Expedition 42 Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1	Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA Expedition 42 First spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2	Terry W. Virts, Jr., NASA Expedition 42 Second and last spaceflight

Backup crew

Position	Crew Member
Commander	Oleg Kononenko, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer 1	Kimiya Yui, JAXA
Flight Engineer 2	Kjell N. Lindgren, NASA

Mission highlights

Launch, rendezvous and docking

Soyuz TMA-15M launched successfully aboard a Soyuz-FG rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 21:01 UTC on Sunday, 23 November 2014. The spacecraft reached low Earth orbit approximately nine minutes after lift-off. After executing rendezvous maneuvers, the Soyuz docked with the International Space Station at 02:49 UTC on 24 November, with hatch opening occurring at 05:00 UTC.

Soyuz TMA-15M was scheduled to remain docked to the ISS—serving as an emergency escape vehicle, planned to be on-board until May 2015. The landing was delayed until June 2015, when it was set to depart and return Shkaplerov, Cristoforetti and Virts to Earth.

Cristoforetti commemorated the spaceflight by gifting three Lego minifigures of herself, Virts and Shkaplerov to the other members of the Expedition 42 crew. They had been commissioned by ESA and built by a British custom Lego kitmaker.

Undocking and return to Earth

Soyuz TMA-15M accidentally fired its engines one day before undocking. The one minute burn slightly shifted ISS position.

Soyuz TMA-15M undocked from the ISS at 10:20 UTC on 11 June 2015, containing Shkaplerov, Cristoforetti, and Virts. Following a deorbit burn, the Soyuz spacecraft's descent module reentered the Earth's atmosphere. The crew landed safely in Kazakhstan at 13:44 UTC on 11 June, just over three hours after departing the ISS.

Gallery

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  Rollout of Soyuz TMA-15M rocket.
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  Soyuz TMA-15M on the launch pad after rollout.
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  Crew of Soyuz TMA-15M wave to spectators before launch.
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  Soyuz TMA-15M launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
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  TMA-15M lands in Kazakhstan.