Soyuz-FG

The Soyuz-FG was an improved variant of the Soyuz-U launch vehicle from the R-7 rocket family, developed by the Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara, Russia. It featured upgraded first and second stage engines, RD-107A and RD-108A, respectively, with enhanced injector heads that improved combustion efficiency and specific impulse. The designation "FG" refers to forsunochnaya golovka (injector head) in Russian.

Soyuz-FG made its maiden flight on 20 May 2001, delivering a Progress cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). It became the primary vehicle for launching crewed Soyuz TMA, Soyuz TMA-M, and Soyuz MS spacecraft from 2002 until its retirement in 2019.

Launches occurred from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan: crewed missions from Gagarin's Start (Site 1/5) and satellite launches from Site 31/6.

Design Soyuz-FG was introduced in May 2001 as a transitional solution while the more advanced Soyuz-2 was still in development. Development of the upgraded RD-107A (boosters) and RD-108A (core) engines outpaced the rest of the Soyuz-2 rocket. The availability of the upgraded engines allowed their early use on Soyuz-FG, while Soyuz-U continued using existing engine stockpiles.

The RD-107A and RD-108A engines, replaced the older RD-107 and RD-108 units, switching from 260 two-component centrifugal injectors to over 1,000 one-component injectors. This refinement enabled more complete propellant combustion, reduced high-frequency vibrations in combustion chambers, and improved specific impulse by , a five percent improvement, which allowed for a payload increase of .

For uncrewed missions, Soyuz-FG could fly with a Fregat upper stage, built by Lavochkin in Khimki. The first flight of this configuration took place on 2 June 2003, with a total of ten such launches marketed by the European-Russian company Starsem.

Soyuz-FG flew 70 times, with one failure on 11 October 2018 during the launch of Soyuz MS-10. A faulty sensor led to a booster collision with the core stage shortly after liftoff, triggering an emergency abort. The crew—NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin—safely returned to Earth.

Following the MS-15 launch on 25 September 2019, Soyuz-FG was retired in favor of the fully digital Soyuz-2, which offers more precise guidance and greater mission flexibility.

Launch history Date and time (UTC) Configuration Serial number Launch site Result Payload Remarks 20 May 2001 22:32 Soyuz-FG К15000-001 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Progress M1-6 ISS resupply 26 November 2001 18:24 Soyuz-FG Ф15000-002 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Progress M1-7 ISS resupply Kolibri 2000 25 September 2002 16:58 Soyuz-FG Э15000-003 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Progress M1-9 ISS resupply 30 October 2002 16:58 Soyuz-FG Э15000-004 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-1 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS escape craft 26 April 2003 03:53 Soyuz-FG Э15000-006 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-2 Crewed flight with 2 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 7 2 June 2003 18:24 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Э15000-005/ST-11 Baikonur LC-31/6 rowspan=2 Mars Express Mars orbiter Beagle 2 Mars lander Spacecraft failed after landing 18 October 2003 05:38 Soyuz-FG Д15000-007 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-3 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 8 27 December 2003 21:30 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Д15000-008/ST-12 Baikonur, Site 31/6 AMOS-2 Communications satellite 19 April 2004 05:19 Soyuz-FG Ж15000-009 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-4 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 9 14 October 2004 03:06 Soyuz-FG Ж15000-012 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-5 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 10 15 April 2005 00:46 Soyuz-FG Ж15000-014 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-6 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 11 13 August 2005 23:28 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Ж15000-011/ST-13 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Galaxy 14 Communications satellite 1 October 2005 03:54 Soyuz-FG П15000-017 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-7 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 12 9 November 2005 03:33 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Ж15000-010/ST-14 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Venus Express Venus orbiter 28 December 2005 05:19 Soyuz-FG/Fregat П15000-015/ST-15 Baikonur, Site 31/6 GIOVE-A Navigation satellite 30 March 2006 02:30 Soyuz-FG П15000-018 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-8 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 13 18 September 2006 04:08 Soyuz-FG Ц15000-023 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-9 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 14 7 April 2007 17:31 Soyuz-FG Ц15000-019 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-10 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 15 29 May 2007 20:31 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Ц15000-021 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Globalstar × 4 Communications satellites 10 October 2007 13:22 Soyuz-FG Ц15000-020 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-11 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 16 20 October 2007 20:12 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Ц15000-022 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Globalstar × 4 Communications satellites 14 December 2007 13:17 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Ц15000-025 Baikonur, Site 31/6 RADARSAT-2 Earth observation 8 April 2008 11:16 Soyuz-FG Ш15000-024 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-12 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 17 First South Korean in space. 26 April 2008 22:16 Soyuz-FG/Fregat П15000-016 Baikonur, Site 31/6 GIOVE-B Navigation satellite 12 October 2008 07:01 Soyuz-FG Ш15000-026 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-13 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 18 26 March 2009 11:49 Soyuz-FG Ю15000-027 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-14 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 19 27 May 2009 10:34 Soyuz-FG Ю15000-030 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-15 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 20 30 September 2009 07:14 Soyuz-FG Б15000-029 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-16 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 21 20 December 2009 21:52 Soyuz-FG Б15000-031 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-17 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 22 2 April 2010 04:04 Soyuz-FG Ю15000-028 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-18 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 23 15 June 2010 21:35 Soyuz-FG Б15000-032 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-19 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 24 7 October 2010 23:10 Soyuz-FG Б15000-035 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-01M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 25 15 December 2010 19:09 Soyuz-FG Б15000-034 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-20 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 26 4 April 2011 22:18 Soyuz-FG И15000-036 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-21 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 27 7 June 2011 20:12 Soyuz-FG И15000-037 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-02M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 28 14 November 2011 04:14 Soyuz-FG И15000-038 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-22 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 29 21 December 2011 13:16 Soyuz-FG Л15000-039 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-03M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 30/31 15 May 2012 03:01 Soyuz-FG Л15000-041 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-04M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 31/32 15 July 2012 02:40 Soyuz-FG Л15000-042 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-05M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 32/33 22 July 2012 06:41 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Б15000-033 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites 23 October 2012 10:51 Soyuz-FG Л15000-044 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Soyuz TMA-06M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 33/34 19 December 2012 12:12 Soyuz-FG Л15000-040 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-07M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 34/35 28 March 2013 20:43 Soyuz-FG Е15000-043 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-08M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 35/36 28 May 2013 20:31 Soyuz-FG Е15000-045 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-09M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 36/37 25 September 2013 20:58 Soyuz-FG Е15000-046 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-10M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 37/38 7 November 2013 04:14 Soyuz-FG Т15000-048 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-11M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 38/39 25 March 2014 21:17 Soyuz-FG Т15000-047 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-12M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 39/40 28 May 2014 19:57 Soyuz-FG Т15000-049 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-13M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 40/41 25 September 2014 20:25 Soyuz-FG Т15000-050 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-14M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 41/42 23 November 2014 21:01 Soyuz-FG T15000-051 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Soyuz TMA-15M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 42/43 27 March 2015 19:42 Soyuz-FG G15000-053 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-16M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 43/44 22 July 2015 21:03 Soyuz-FG G15000-052 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-17M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 44/45 2 September 2015 04:38 Soyuz-FG G15000-054 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-18M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 45/46 15 December 2015 11:03 Soyuz-FG G15000-055 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-19M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 46/47 18 March 2016 21:26 Soyuz-FG R15000-057 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz TMA-20M Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 47/48 7 July 2016 01:36 Soyuz-FG R15000-056 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-01 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 48/49 19 October 2016 08:05 Soyuz-FG R15000-059 Baikonur, Site 31/6 Soyuz MS-02 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 49/50 17 November 2016 20:20 Soyuz-FG R15000-060 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-03 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 50/51 20 April 2017 07:13 Soyuz-FG U15000-065 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-04 Crewed flight with 2 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 51/52 28 July 2017 15:40 Soyuz-FG R15000-058 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-05 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 52/53 12 September 2017 21:17 Soyuz-FG U15000-063 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-06 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 53/54 17 December 2017 07:21 Soyuz-FG R15000-061 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-07 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 54/55 21 March 2018 17:44 Soyuz-FG N15000-066 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-08 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 55/56 6 June 2018 11:12 Soyuz-FG U15000-064 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-09 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 56/57 11 October 2018 08:40 Soyuz-FG N15000-062 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-10 Crewed flight with 2 cosmonauts Planned for ISS Expedition 57 Aborted during ascent; crew landed safely. 16 November 2018 18:14 Soyuz-FG N15000-068 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Progress MS-10 ISS resupply 3 December 2018 11:31 Soyuz-FG N15000-067 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-11 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 57/58/59 14 March 2019 19:14 Soyuz-FG N15000-070 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-12 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 59/60 20 July 2019 16:28 Soyuz-FG N15000-069 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-13 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 60/61 25 September 2019 13:57:43 Soyuz-FG N15000-071 Baikonur, Site 1/5 Soyuz MS-15 Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 61/62 Last flight of Soyuz-FG variant, to be replaced by Soyuz-2 for future crewed missions.

Soyuz-FG

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