Soyuz TMA-06M
| Operator | Roskosmos |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2012-058A |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Soyuz-TMA 11F747 |
| Manufacturer | RKK Energia |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members |
Oleg Novitskiy Evgeny Tarelkin Kevin A. Ford |
| Callsign | Kazbek |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 23 October 2012, 10:51:11 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-FG |
| Launch site | Baikonur 31/6 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 16 March 2013, 03:11 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Docking with ISS | |
|
 (l-r) Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin
Soyuz programme
(Manned missions) |
|
Soyuz TMA-06M launched on 23 October 2012 was a spaceflight to the International Space Station, transporting three members of the Expedition 33 crew. TMA-06M was the 115th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first flight launching in 1967. Soyuz TMA-06M launch was also the first manned flight from the remote Site 31 pad since July 1984.
The Soyuz remained on board the space station for the Expedition 33 increment to serve as an emergency escape vehicle. Soyuz TMA-06M successfully returned to Earth on 15 March 2013.
On 21 October 2012, the Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft was rolled out by train and erected on pad 6 at Site 31, also referred to as the Tereshkova pad. Launch pad 31/6 was used for this mission since the usual launch pad for manned flights - pad 5 at Site 1 was undergoing maintenance and upgrades. Also on the launch day, the crew’s trip to the 31/6 Launch Pad took about one hour and 10 minutes – 50 minutes longer than the drive to the 1/5 Launch Pad.
Soyuz TMA-06M was launched atop of a Soyuz-FG rocket at 10:51:11 GMT on 23 October 2012 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. The launch of TMA-06M from Baikonur's Site 31 was the first human liftoff from that launch pad since July 1984 when Soyuz T-12 was sent to the Salyut 7 space station.
Following the flawless launch, the Soyuz spacecraft successfully achieved orbital insertion 9 minutes later and began its 34-orbit journey to the International Space Station.
Live television from inside the Soyuz TMA-06M command module showed commander Oleg Novitskiy monitoring the automated ascent from the center seat. Seated on the left and right to him was flight engineer Evgeny Tarelkin and NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, respectively. Shortly after the launch, one of the cosmonauts reported an alarm of some nature, but flight controllers later said there were no obvious problems.
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