Manufacturer | Energia |
---|---|
Country of origin | Russia |
Operator | Roscosmos |
Applications | ISS crew transport |
Specifications | |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Design life | Up to six months docked to ISS |
Production | |
Status | Retired |
Launched | 20 |
Maiden launch | 7 October 2010 (Soyuz TMA-01M) |
Last launch | 18 March 2016 (Soyuz TMA-20M) |
Related spacecraft | |
Derived from | Soyuz TMA |
Derivatives | Soyuz MS |
The Soyuz TMA-M was a spacecraft developed by Energia and operated by Roscosmos for human spaceflight. Introduced in 2010, it is a revision of the Soyuz spacecraft with upgrades over its predecessor, the Soyuz TMA.
The primary difference between the Soyuz TMA-M and the Soyuz TMA was that it replaced several pieces of outdated equipment including the 70-kilogram (150 lb) Argon main computer[1] and its analogue avionics, many of which were no longer in production, with a new digital computer, the TsVM-101 and digital avionics.[2] The changes reduced the vehicle's total mass by 70 kilograms (150 lb).[3]
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, a member of the Soyuz TMA-01M crew, praised the spacecraft's new digital displays, noting that they made flying easier and less demanding.[4]
Additionally, power consumption was reduced throughout the ship, contributing to its overall efficiency..[2] There are also changes to the spacecraft's structure, such as replacing the magnesium alloy used in the instrument module frame with aluminium alloy,[2] to make the ship easier to manufacture.[3]
Two flight development flights were launched: Soyuz TMA-01M on Oct 7, 2010 and Soyuz TMA-02M on Jun 7, 2011. The third ship, Soyuz TMA-03M, launched on 21 December 2011 and was used for qualification tests. In addition to verifying the nominal operation of the spaceship, the testing included verification of off-nominal modes, such as manual attitude control, issuing of orbital maneuvering pulses using four berthing and attitude thrusters, and flying around the ISS in manual control mode.[5]
The TMA-M variant flew 20 missions at a cadence of four times a year before being replaced in 2016 by the Soyuz MS. For the launch schedule, see List of Russian human spaceflight missions.