News

September 26, 2014
Manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-14M has docked with the International Space Station

A manned transportation spacecraft Soyuz TMA-14M has docked with the International Space Station (ISS).

Approach to it, its fly-around, stationkeeping and docking were performed normally, in automatic mode.

The initial contact with the docking port on the module Poisk of the ISS Russian segment occurred at 06:11 Moscow Time, 5 hours 46 minutes after the lift-off from the Baikonur launch site.

The mission control and the monitoring of the spacecraft systems status during rendezvous and docking were provided by the Lead Operations Control Team working at the Mission Control Center near Moscow (MCC-M). The Flight Director is the RSC Energia First Deputy General Designer V.A. Soloviev.

Final flight operations in the course of the spacecraft rendezvous and docking with the space station were conducted under the supervision of the State Commission for flight tests of manned space systems and the Technical Management for the flight testing of manned space systems.

After a leak test of the spacecraft compartments and the docking unit, and equalization of pressure between the space station and the spacecraft, the transfer hatches were opened. The spacecraft crew transferred to the Russian segment of the ISS.

Working on-board the space station began a joint international crew of 6, consisting of Russian cosmonauts Maxim Suraev, Alexandr Samokutyaev, Elena Serova, US astronauts Gregory Wiseman, Barry Wilmore and european astronaut Alexander Gerst.

All deployable elements of the spacecraft structure are in their working position (the solar array panel that had failed to deploy after the launch, did deploy after docking due to dynamic processes that occur in the spacecraft structure during berthing and docking operations). On-board systems of the ISS, and Russian spacecraft Progress M-24M, Soyuz TMA-13M, Soyuz TMA-14M operate normally.

Present at MCC-M during the final operations of the spacecraft rendezvous and docking with ISS were representatives of Roscosmos, and foreign space agencies.

 

For information:

1. RSC Energia is the prime organization for developing and operating the ISS Russian segment, its modules and spacecraft Soyuz TMA and Progress M.
2. Working at present within the ISS are 5 Russian-made modules (Zarya, Zvezda, Pirs, Poisk, Rassvet) and 3 Russian transportation spacecraft: two manned vehicles and one unmanned cargo vehicle.