Watch live as NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko return home from the International Space Station. Their Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft will head for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan at 8 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 23 (1200 UTC).
Dyson will conclude her third spaceflight with the landing of the Soyuz. Dyson’s mission spanned 184 days, 2,944 orbits of the Earth, and a journey of 78 million miles. While on orbit, she conducted an array of experiments and technology demonstrations that contribute to advancements for humanity on Earth and NASA’s trajectory to the Moon and Mars.
Watch three residents of the International Space Station relocate the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft to a new docking port, making room for the future arrival of a Progress cargo resupply ship. Aboard are:
• Flight engineer Frank Rubio of NASA • Flight engineers Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos
Soyuz commander Prokopyev will manually pilot the spacecraft away from the space-facing Poisk module at 4:45 a.m. EDT (08:45 UTC), and dock again at the Earth-facing Prichal module at approximately 5:23 a.m. EDT (09:23 UTC). Petelin will be seated to his left and Rubio will be seated to his right.
Timelapse video made during ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s second mission to the International Space Station, “Alpha”. On 17 October 2021 at 01:14 GMT the Soyuz MS-18 undocked from the Space Station to return to Earth, inside were @Roscosmos Media cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy (who had spent 191 days in space) and actress Yulia Peresild and Russian producer-director Klim Shipenko (who both spent 11 days in space). The trio landed on Earth just over three hours later. The camera for this timelapse was setup to take pictures at intervals of two a second, and the pictures are then edited into this video that plays at 25 pictures a second. The video is around 12 times faster than real speed.
Thomas shared this video on social media with the caption:
“Soyuz MS-18 departing two weekends ago already. Oleg left with Yulia and Klim and I see pictures of them back looking happy and healthy back on Earth. they were only in space for a few days though, a business trip, more than an expedition, for us and Oleg it will be a bit different: the physical and social readapting to Earth will require some work. This is a timelapse so it moves 12 times faster than in reality. I wasn’t the only one to film in the Cupola, and where the image shakes a bit is when one of my crewmates bumped the tripod! ”
Over 200 experiments are planned during Thomas’ time in space, with 40 European ones and 12 new experiments led by the French space agency @CNES.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Watch a Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft lift off on a two-orbit, three-hour journey to the International Space Station! NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch at 3:42 a.m. EDT, Friday, April 9, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The trio will be part of Expeditions 64 and 65 on the station, where they’ll continue work on hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science, and Earth science. This will be Vande Hei’s second spaceflight, Novitskiy’s third, and Dubrov’s first.
A touch of history for our first asteroid sample return mission, a safe return from the International Space Station, and a big move in preparation for Artemis I … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano spent 201 days in orbit as part of his Beyond mission to the International Space Station. In this clip, he discusses how astronauts manage the risk of colds and flu on the International Space Station.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
Europe’s Spaceport lies northeast of South America in French Guiana, an overseas department of France. This location near the equator enables the Ariane, Soyuz and Vega launch vehicles operated at the Spaceport to complete a wide range of missions to any orbit for clients from around the globe.
The Spaceport comes under the responsibility of the French space agency CNES while infrastructures are funded by the European Space Agency.
ESA owns the launcher and satellite preparation buildings, launch operation facilities and a plant for making solid propellant and integrating solid rocket motors.
ESA also finances new facilities, such as launch complexes and industrial production facilities for new launchers such as Vega-C and Ariane 6.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano touched down in the Kazakh Steppe at 09:12 GMT (10:12 CET), 6 February 2020 after his second six-month mission on the International Space Station. Luca returned to Earth in the Russian Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft alongside US astronaut Christina Koch and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov.
During his second mission, known as ‘Beyond’, Luca served as the third European and first ever Italian in command of the International Space Station. Before leaving the Station, he handed this role over to Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripocha in a traditional change of command ceremony.
While in orbit, Luca also performed four complex spacewalks to maintain the cosmic-ray-detecting Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer AMS-02, remotely operated a rock-collecting rover in the Netherlands, supported more than 50 European and over 200 international experiments, gained the European record for longest cumulative spacewalking time, and publicly shared countless images as he warned of the challenges facing our planet.
Luca will now return to ESA’s Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany where he will continue to work with researchers to gather baseline data and undertake an extensive programme of rehabilitation supported by ESA experts. The findings of this research and Luca’s work in space will help shape the future of space exploration and enhance technological developments on Earth.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
In the third episode of our ‘Fit for space’ training series, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer explains how astronauts learn to survive on their own if ever a spacecraft lands away from its intended landing site.
Generally a spacecraft lands within a few kilometers of its landing site, but sometimes they return in a so-called ‘ballistic mode’ in a steeper entrance trajectory putting the astronauts under increased gravity loads, and landing with less precision – sometimes 400 km away from the intended landing area.
From winter survival to water survival, astronauts are prepared for anything, from building fires and shelters, to surviving cold waters and righting capsized life rafts.
The video includes footage from the Soyuz winter survival training, water survival training fire emergency training as well as Chinese sea survival training.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
As the year comes to a close, it is once again time to look back and reflect on some of the achievements and highlights of European spaceflight. The new Gaia star catalogue and the launch of Cheops are keeping ESA at the forefront of space science, as will Solar Orbiter, being prepared for launch next year. The Copernicus programme continues to be the largest Earth observation programme in the world, with ESA preparing even more missions. On the Space Station, Luca Parmitano became the third European to command an ISS expedition. During his second mission, he made some of the space programme’s most complex and demanding spacewalks. At the end of 2019, the ESA Space19+ ministerial conference agreed to give ESA its largest budget ever and expressed continued support for Europe’s independent access to space with Ariane 6 and Vega-C.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
Three space travelers, including NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori from the United Arab Emirates, launched to space at 9:57 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2019, for a nearly six-hour ride to the International Space Station.
ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano has arrived on the International Space Station following a six-hour flight in the Russian Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft alongside NASA astronaut Drew Morgan and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov.
The trio were launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 16:28 GMT (18:28 CEST) on Saturday 20 July and orbited Earth four times before docking to the Station’s Zvezda service module at 22:50 GMT (00:50 CEST).
This mission to the International Space Station is the second for Luca, the third for Alexander and the first for Drew. They were warmly welcomed by NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague and current International Space Station commander Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, bringing the number of humans in orbit to six.
This clip shows highlights from preparations prior to launch, liftoff, docking and hatch opening as the crew start to settle into their new home and workplace.
Luca will live and work in orbit for the six-month duration of his Beyond mission. There, he will support over 50 European experiments and more than 200 international experiments in microgravity.
During the latter part of his mission, Expedition 61, he will take up the role of Space Station commander. He is the first Italian and third European astronaut ever appointed to this role, after ESA astronauts Alexander Gerst in 2018 and Frank De Winne in 2009.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
Fifty years to the day that humans stepped on the Moon in a giant leap for humanity, three space travelers are launching to our orbiting laboratory. NASA’s Andrew Morgan, Roscosmos’ Alexander Skvortsov and European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano will launch at 12:28 p.m. EDT aboard the Soyuz MS-13 rocket for a six journey journey to the International Space Station. Tune in starting at 11:30 a.m. EDT to see launch coverage:
In the first episode of our ‘Fit for space’ training series, ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Luca Parmitano share how crewmembers prepare for their journey to the International Space Station in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Training for the critical moments of Soyuz spaceflight – launch, ascent, docking and landing – take place at Roscosmos’ Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Here, astronauts use sophisticated Soyuz simulators to practice procedures and respond to emergency situations.
The Soyuz simulators at GCTC are designed to act and be operated in exactly the same way as the spacecraft itself. Astronauts must demonstrate their proficiency in manually controlling the Soyuz to prepare for the unlikely event that automated and ground-based operations fail.
They also prepare for emergency events that could occur onboard the International Space Station itself.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
The ride to the International Space Station sees astronauts launched on top of a rocket fuelled by 300 tonnes of propellant. Where on Earth do astronauts take off? When do they experience weightlessness for the first time? And how long does the trip take?
Watch in just over a minute the events from launch to docking. This video is based on a training lesson for ESA astronauts, and it features footage taken from inside the Soyuz spacecraft.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
The ride home from the International Space Station sees the astronauts brake from 28 800 km/h to a standstill at touchdown in barely three hours. How does the Soyuz spacecraft reenter the atmosphere? And how does the capsule land?
Watch in just two minutes the sequence of events from farewell to landing. This video is based on a training lesson for ESA astronauts, and it features dramatic footage of actual landings.
ESA is Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
This is what three astronauts being launched into space looks like – seen from space. ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst took this time-lapse sequence from the International Space Station’s Cupola observatory on 3 December 2018.
Inside the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft were NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques and Roscosmos astronaut and Soyuz commander Oleg Konenenko. The trio blasted into orbit at 11:31 GMT from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and docked with the International Space Station just six hours later.
Spacecraft are launched after the Space Station flies overhead. This allowed Alexander to set up a camera to take regular pictures at intervals that are played back to create this video.
The rocket leaves behind a trail of exhaust as it gains altitude and passes through the layers of Earth’s atmosphere.
ESA is Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.
Soyuz crew is safe following a launch anomaly, another major hurricane seen from space, and testing continues for the rocket engine that will power us to deep space … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
This video is available for download from NASA’s Image and Video Library: https://images.nasa.gov/details-NHQ_2018_1012_Soyuz%20Crew%20Lands%20Safely%20After%20Launch%20Anomaly%20on%20This%20Week%20@NASA%20%E2%80%93%20October%2012,%202018.html
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin are in good condition following an aborted launch of their Soyuz spacecraft.
The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 4:40 a.m. EDT Thursday, October 11 (2:40 p.m. in Baikonur) carrying American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. Shortly after launch, there was an anomaly with the booster and the launch ascent was aborted, resulting in a ballistic landing of the spacecraft. Search and rescue teams were deployed to the landing site. Hague and Ovchinin are out of the capsule and are reported to be in good condition.
Note: This video is edited for length, but includes the launch, the initial report of the issue, and the confirmation that the crew landed safely.
This unique video shows a full launch of the Soyuz MS-09: from liftoff to orbit.
Watch the launch from inside the crew capsule with first-ever shots from outside the spacecraft recorded by cameras fixed to the exterior of the Soyuz.
The intense launch lasts less than ten minutes whereby the Soyuz spacecraft is propelled 1640 km and gains 210 km altitude. Every second for nine minutes, the spacecraft accelerates 50 km/h on average as the rocket’s boosters burn their fuel and are discarded.
See the astronaut’s reactions and what the spacecraft looks like as the main steps are carried out to get into orbit:
-00:12 Launch command issued
-00:10 Engine turbopumps at flight speed
-00:05 Engines at maximum thrust
00:00 Launch
+1:54 Separation of emergency rescue system
+1:57 First stage separation
+2:38 Fairing separation
+4:48 Second stage separation
+4:58 Tail adapter separation
+8:45 Third stage engine cut off having arrived in orbit
+8:49 Soyuz separation, deploy solar arrays and antennae
The astronauts, from left to right, are NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, Roscosmos commander Sergei Prokopyev and ESA astronaut and flight engineer Alexander Gerst launched in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station on 6 June 2018. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and ESA television host Richard Hollingham provide commentary taken from the live event.
Hunched in their Sokol flight suits that offer protection in case of fire or depressurisation, the trio stay in the crew capsule of the Soyuz – the only module that is also designed to survive a return to Earth. The bags above their heads contain supplies for the International Space Station as every bit of space is used.
During a Soyuz launch astronauts typically experience forces of up to 4g – having to work while being pressed into their seats with a force that is four times more than the gravity felt on Earth. The Soyuz commander uses a stick to press buttons as they are too far away from the control panel.
The fluffy toys above the astronauts’ heads are mascots and good luck charms but also serve as a simple but effective test to see when the spacecraft is in orbit: when they start to float the spacecraft is weightless and orbiting Earth. Above Sergei is the mascot for the 2018 FIFA soccer World Cup held in Russia. Alexander took German children television icon “Die Maus” with him.
The launch went as planned as the 50-m tall Soyuz rocket propelled the astronauts to their cruising speed of around 28 800 km/h.
For this launch the astronauts took 34 orbits of Earth over two days to arrive at their destination spending their time in the cramped orbital module of the Soyuz that is no larger than a car. With limited communications and living space the astronauts had time to adapt to weightlessness and reflect on their mission ahead. They aligned their spacecraft with the International Space Station and approached the orbital outpost for docking on 8 June 2018. The files for this video were downloaded by the astronauts after arriving at the Space Station.
Alexander is a returning visitor to the International Space Station, the first of ESA’s 2009 class of astronauts to be sent into space for a second time. During the second part of his mission Alexander will take over as commander of the International Space Station, only the second time an ESA astronaut will take on this role so far.
Highlights from ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s return to Earth at the end of his six-month Proxima mission to the International Space Station on 2 June 2017.
After farewells and hatch closure, Thomas and his Expedition 50/51 crewmate and Soyuz commander Oleg Novitsky undocked from the International Space Station at 12:47 CEST (10:47 GMT). Just a few hours later their spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere, landing in the Kazakh Steppe at 16:10 CEST (14:10 GMT). Thomas and Oleg were helped out of the Soyuz by a recovery crew and, after medical checks, they were flown to Karaganda airport where they received the traditional welcoming ceremony. Thomas then flew directly from Karaganda to Cologne, in Germany, home to the European Astronaut Centre, to start post-flight testing.
Thomas and Oleg spent 196 days in space. Thomas took part in more than 60 experiments during his Proxima mission. His experiments are helping to understand the human brain, ocean currents and radiation in space, how atoms behave and tested new spacecraft materials. Other highlights included his two spacewalks to improve and maintain the Space Station.
On 28 May 2014, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman under the command of Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev rocketed into space in a Soyuz spacecraft. This was their voyage.
For Alexander and Reid it was the first time they saw Earth from space.
Strapped atop 274 tonnes of rocket propellants delivering 26 million horsepower, it took only six hours to reach their destination, International Space Station.
Alexander worked as a geophysicist and volcanologist before he was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009. His Blue Dot mission included an extensive scientific programme of experiments in physical science, biology, and human physiology as well as radiation research and technology demonstrations. All experiments make use of the out-of-this-world laboratory to improve life on Earth or prepare for further human exploration of our Solar System.
ESA astronaut Tim Peake, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and commander Yuri Malenchenko landed in the steppe of Kazakhstan on Saturday, 18 June in their Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft. The trio spent 186 days on the International Space Station. The landing brings Tim Peake’s Principia mission to an end but the research continues. Tim is the eighth ESA astronaut to complete a long-duration mission in space. He is the third after Alexander Gerst and Andreas Mogensen to fly directly to ESA’s astronaut home base in Cologne, Germany, for medical checks and for researchers to collect more data on how Tim’s body and mind have adapted to living in space.
This timelapse video shows the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft moving from its integration facility to it launch pad in Baikonur Cosmodrome and the launch on 2 September 2015 with commander Sergei Volkov, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Aidyn Aimbetov to the International Space Station.
Andreas became Denmark’s first astronaut when he left our planet on his 10-day ‘iriss’ mission. ESA used the mission to test new technologies and conduct a series of scientific experiments.
Andreas returned to Earth with Soyuz spacecraft commander Gennady Padalka and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov on 12 September.
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft 11 June 2015.
Shortly after landing the crew were welcomed back to Earth in a traditional Kazakh ceremony held for all astronauts who return from space on a Soyuz spacecraft.
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft 11 June 2015. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.
Soyuz TMA-15M braked from the Station’s cruising speed of almost 28 800 km/h and entered the atmosphere six hours later. The small descent module separated as planned and parachutes deployed to slow the vehicle down even more.
The module fired retrorockets moments before landing and springs in the moulded seats reduced the impact of hitting the steppe at 13:44 GMT. Teams were on hand within minutes to help them out.
(L-115 days) ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov take us inside the Soyuz simulator at Star City where they are training for off-nominal situations they could face during their spaceflight. In practice, this includes anything their Soyuz instructor decides to throw at them – including scenarios such as fire or depressurisation.
Andreas is currently training for his 10-day Iriss mission to the International Space Station, set for launch in September 2015.
This timelapse video shows the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft during transfer from the MIK 40 integration facility to Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, as well as the launch on 23 November 2014 with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and her crewmates to the International Space Station where they will live and work for five months.
With Samantha are Russian Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and NASA astronaut Terry Virts. All three are part of the Station’s Expedition 42/43 crew.
On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.
Directed by Stephane Corvaja, ESA Edited by Manuel Pedoussaut, Zetapress Music: MZB
The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft approaches the International Space Station. The spacecraft lifted off at 20:59 GMT on 23 November (21:59 CET; 02:59 local time 24 November) and reached orbit nine minutes later.
Their spacecraft docked as planned at 02:49 GMT (03:49 CET), and the hatch to their new home in space was opened at 05:00 GMT (06:00 CET).
Follow the Futura mission with live updates from Samantha and the mission directors themselves on the mission blog ‘Outpost 42’ via http://outpost42.esa.int
This second video in the ‘Journey to the International Space Station’ series follows the Soyuz capsule from Earth orbit to docking with the Space Station. Featuring interviews with ESA astronauts Luca Parmitano, Frank De Winne and Paolo Nespoli, and an introduction by Alexander Gerst, it includes unique footage taken from inside the Soyuz spacecraft.
Produced by the ESA Human Spaceflight and Operations Astronaut Training Division in Cologne, Germany, in collaboration with the Human Spaceflight and Operations Strategic Planning and Outreach Office in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
Narration: Bernard Oattes
Technical experts: Stephane Ghiste, Dmitriy Churkin
Content design: Stephane Ghiste, Dmitriy Churkin, Matthew Day, Celena Dopart
Animation: Nelson Steinmetz, Yannis Nourrisson
Video editing: Celena Dopart, Andrea Conigli
Project coordination: Matthew Day
Special thanks to:
NASA
Roscosmos
Frank De Winne
Paolo Nespoli
Luca Parmitano
Alexander Gerst
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Captions available in English, Spanish, German, French, Russian and Italian. We’re working on more languages and they will be added as they become available. Click on the CC button to switch between languages.
This superb footage was acquired by cameras on the Soyuz Fregat upper stage that released Sentinel-1A into orbit on 3 April 2014. It shows the Sentinel-1A satellite separating from the Fregat to start its life in orbit around Earth.
The 2.3 tonne satellite lifted off on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 21:02 GMT (23:02 CEST). The first stage separated 118 sec later, followed by the fairing (209 sec), stage 2 (287 sec) and the upper assembly (526 sec). After a 617 sec burn, the Fregat upper stage delivered Sentinel into a Sun-synchronous orbit at 693 km altitude. The satellite separated from the upper stage 23 min 24 sec after liftoff.
Sentinel-1 is the first in the family of satellites for Europe’s Copernicus programme. It carries an advanced radar to scan Earth’s surface in all weather conditions and regardless of whether it is day or night. This new mission will be used to care for many aspects of our environment, from detecting and tracking oil spills and mapping sea ice to monitoring movement in land surfaces and mapping changes in the way land is used.
Learning to fly the Soyuz with ESA astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Thomas Pesquet in the Soyuz simulator at Star City, near Moscow. Latest installment from Andreas’ video diary during his training for a mission to the International Space Station in 2015.
Soyuz flight VS06, with the Gaia space observatory, lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport, French Guiana, on 19 December 2013. This timelapse movie shows Gaia sunshield deployment test, the transfer of the Soyuz from the assembly building to the launch pad and the lift off.
How does an astronaut return to Earth from the International Space Station? What does it feel like to re-enter the atmosphere? How does the Soyuz capsule function? Watch and find out. This video is based on an actual lesson delivered to the ESA astronaut class of 2009 (also known as the #Shenanigans09) during their ESA Basic Training. It features interviews with astronauts who have flown on the Soyuz and dramatic footage of actual landings.
Produced by the ESA Human Spaceflight and Operations (HSO) Astronaut Training Division, Cologne, Germany, in collaboration with the HSO Strategic Planning and Outreach Office, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, with special support from Roskosmos.
Content Design: Stephane Ghiste, Dmitriy Churkin, Raffaele Castellano, Matthew Day (HSO-UT)
Animation & Video Editing: Raffaele Castellano (HSO-UT), HSO-K
Project Coordination: Matthew Day, Stephane Ghiste, Dmitriy Churkin (HSO-UT)
Special thanks to:
Martin Schweiger (Orbiter software: http://orbit/medphys.ucl.ac.uk/)
Nikita Vtyurin, Andrew Thielmann (Orbiter Soyuz model)
Lionel Ferra (HSO-UT)
Oleg Polovnikov (HSO-UT)
Frank De Winne (HSO-A)
Paolo Nespoli (HSO-A)
Antonio Rodenas Bosque (HSO-UT)
NASA
ROSCOSMOS
S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia
Aerospace Search and Rescue Service of the Russian Federation
Parachute footage: Cambridge University Spaceflight
Surfer footage: copyright Red Bull Media House
Footage from inside Soyuz capsule courtesy of RSC Energia has limited rights:
a) These data are submitted with Limited Rights under Agreement among the Government of Canada, Governments of Member States of the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the United States of America concerning co-operation on the civil International Space Station.
These data may be used by the receiving co-operating agency and its contractors and subcontractors, provided that such data shall be used, duplicated or disclosed only for the following purposes, which are related to the Cooperating Agency Space Station Program for ISS:
1) Use for ESA astronaut training
2) Use for educational purposes
These data shall not be used by persons or entities other than the receiving Cooperating Agency, its contractors or subcontractors, or for any other purposes, without the prior written permission of the furnishing partner state, acting through its cooperating agency.
b) This notice shall be marked on any reproduction of these data in whole or part.
Captions available in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Romanian (with thanks to Alexa Mirel) and Spanish. Click on the CC button to switch between languages.
After launching earlier in the day in their Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 38/39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA and Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 7; docking their craft to the Rassvet module on the Russian segment of the complex.
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 37/38 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and NASA Flight Engineer Michael Hopkins conducted their final fit check “dress rehearsal” in their Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft and conducted other ceremonial activities Sept. 20. The Soyuz spacecraft was mated to its booster rocket on Sept. 22, and moved to the launch pad on a railcar Sept. 23 for final preparations before launch to the International Space Station on Sept. 26, Kazakh time. The trio will spend five and a half months onboard ISS, joining station Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg of NASA and Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency. The footage also includes interviews at the launch pad Sept. 23 with Joel Montalbano, Deputy ISS Program Manager, and Ellen Ochoa, Director of the Johnson Space Center.
What are the parts of the Soyuz rocket? What are the stages into orbit? What is the launch sequence? Watch and find out. This video has been produced from an actual lesson delivered to the ESA astronaut class of 2009 (also known as the #Shenanigans09) during their ESA Basic Training in 2009-2010
This video is a joint production of the ESA Human Spaceflight & Operation Astronaut Training Division & Promotion Office
Note: Subtitles are available for English, Italian, Russian and German. Click on the caption button to choose.
Technical Experts: Stephane Ghiste, Dmitriy Churkin
Content Design: Stephane Ghiste, Dmitriy Churkin, Pascal Renten, Simon Trim, Matthew Day
Video Production & Editing: Pascal Renten, Simon Trim, Andrea Conigli
Narration Voice: Bernard Oattes
Project Co-ordination: Loredana Bessone, Matthew Day
Special Thanks to:
Massimo Sabbatini, Guillaume Weerts ESA Human Spaceflight & Operation Promotion Office
Martin Schweiger (for use of his Orbiter software: http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk)
Nikita Vtyurin, Andrew Thielmann (Orbiter Soyuz model)
Iacopo Baroncini (Soyuz model)
Joey P. Wade (Google Earth Soyuz models)
NASA
ROSCOSMOS
2012 has seen three launchers lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The heavy Ariane 5, the medium Soyuz and the small Vega now provide Europe with a full range of launch services and capabilities. Watch this new video of the trio’s assembly, final preparations, rollout and liftoff.
On 1 July 2012, ESA astronaut André Kuipers, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko returned to Earth in their Soyuz capsule. It marks the end of PromISSe, the fourth ESA long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.