| Operator | Roscosmos |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2011-012A |
| SATCAT no. | 37382 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Soyuz-TMA 11F732 |
| Manufacturer | Energia |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | Aleksandr Samokutyayev Andrei Borisenko Ronald J. Garan |
| Callsign | Tarkhany |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | April 4, 2011, 22:18:20 UTC[1][2] |
| Rocket | Soyuz-FG |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | September 16, 2011, 03:59:39 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 201.2 kilometres (125.0 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 254.69 kilometres (158.26 mi)[3] |
| Inclination | 51.65 degrees |
| Period | 88.76 minutes |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | Poisk zenith |
| Docking date | 6 April 2011 23:09 UTC |
| Undocking date | 16 September 2011 00:38 UTC |
| Time docked | 162d 1h 29m |
 From left to right: Garan, Samokutyayev and Borisenko in front their Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft dubbed "Gagarin" Soyuz programme (Crewed missions) | |
Soyuz TMA-21 ("Gagarin") was a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station (ISS). It transported three members of the Expedition 27 crew to the ISS, and docked at the station on April 6, 2011. TMA-21 is the 109th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first of which launched in 1967. The Soyuz remained attached to the space station as a lifeboat, throughout the remainder of Expedition 27 and through the end of Expedition 28, and returned to Earth on September 16, 2011.
The launch of Soyuz TMA-21 was devoted to the 50th anniversary of the first crewed space mission, which was conducted by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.[4] The COSPAR International ID of Soyuz TMA-21 is 2011-012A.[5]
- ^ NASA. "Consolidated Launch Manifest". NASA. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ "Launch of New ISS mission Slated for April 5".
- ^ "Soyuz TMA-21 Gagarin has been launched". Russian Aviation. April 5, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ Alexander Anikeev (April 29, 2011). "Spacecraft "Soyuz-TMA21"". Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ NASA (May 13, 2011). "SPACEWARN Bulletin No. 690". Retrieved May 25, 2011.