Soyuz TM

Mission Profile

Soyuz TM is an improved variant of the Soyuz crewed spacecraft, featuring an upgraded propulsion system, new rendezvous and docking system, new parachute system, and digital flight computers developed for operations with the Mir space station. First flown on 21 May 1986, it served as the primary crew transport vehicle to Mir throughout the station's operational life and later to the International Space Station through 2002. Soyuz TM incorporated lessons from the 7K-OK and Soyuz T variants, resulting in a significantly more capable and reliable spacecraft that set the operational template for all subsequent Soyuz variants. Over its 16-year career it carried crews on 34 missions, becoming the workhorse of Soviet and Russian human spaceflight during the peak Mir era.