Soyuz programme

Lore & Background

The Soyuz programme was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s. The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. It was the third Soviet human spaceflight programme after the Vostok (1961–1963) and Voskhod (1964–1965) programmes. The basic Soyuz spacecraft design was the basis for many projects, many of which were never developed. Its earliest form was intended to travel to the Moon without employing a huge booster like the Saturn V or the Soviet N-1 by repeatedly docking with upper stages that had been put in orbit using the same rocket as the Soyuz. This and the initial civilian designs were done under the Soviet Chief Designer Sergei Korolev, who did not live to see the craft take flight.

Reader's Guide

The Soyuz programme has been a cornerstone of human spaceflight for nearly six decades. After the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, the Soyuz was the only way for humans to get to the International Space Station (ISS) until 30 May 2020 when Crew Dragon flew to the ISS for the first time with astronauts. The Soyuz rocket family is one of the most dependable and widely utilized launch vehicles in the history of space travel. Soyuz launch vehicles are used to launch crewed Soyuz spacecraft, robotic Progress supply spacecraft to the ISS, and commercial launches. They are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwest Russia, and since 2011 from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The International Space Station always has at least one Soyuz spacecraft docked at all times for use as an escape craft.

Did You Know?

• The Soyuz programme was the third Soviet human spaceflight programme after Vostok and Voskhod.
• The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon.
• After the Space Shuttle retired in 2011, Soyuz was the only way for humans to reach the ISS until 30 May 2020.
• The Soyuz rocket family has been in operation for nearly six decades.