The rocket is slated to be launched on March 29th , and will be sending Expedition 35 aboard the International Space Station. The crew consists of the Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov, along with Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Russia.
The Soyuz is being hauled by train to the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Image courtesy of NASA.
Rockets of the Soyuz family are expendable carrier rockets, initially designed in the 1960's as part of the Soyuz program. According to the European Space Agency, the Soyuz has become the most commonly used launcher in the world since its first launch on 23rd April 1967. It is considered highly reliable, having flown over 1700 times with both un-manned and manned launches.
During the launch, a Soyuz rocket undergoes three separate stages of thrust to provide the force necessary for the Soyuz capsule to reach orbit. The first stage lasts for two minutes and relies on four identical boosters to propel the rocket upward before they are discarded. Propulsion is taken over by a single Soyuz booster in the second stage called the center core. Finally after 225,000 kilograms of kerosene and liquid oxygen have been spent, the third and last stage is engaged to continue the upward ascent. After eight minutes and forty seconds the Soyuz spacecraft separates and finishes the final climb to where it will dock with the International Space Station.
By Maximilian Teodorescu
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