Human Exploration
Soyuz TM-23 was the 25th mission and the 21st long-duration expedition to Mir space station. It was also a part of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program. The mission began on February 21, 1996, 12:34:05 UTC, launching Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachov into orbit. They docked with Mir two days later. During their stay there, cosmonauts performed several EVAs and various scientific experiments. Station crew was visited by several Progress resupply spacecrafts, STS-76, and welcomed aboard Soyuz TM-24 with the next expedition crew. The mission concluded with a safe landing back on Earth on September 2, 1996, 07:41:40 UTC.
The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s. The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. It was the third Soviet human spaceflight programme after the Vostok and Voskhod programmes.
Nov 28, 1966 — ongoing
Mir was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. Mir was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996.
Feb 20, 1986 — Mar 23, 2001
Orbital Attempt
#4,053
RFSA Mission
#58
Pad Launch
#336
Location Launch
#1,071
Designator
1996-011
Feb 21, 1996, 12:34 PM
1 update
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Located in the Kazakh city of Baikonur, it is the largest operational space launch facility in terms of area. All Russian crewed spaceflights are launched from Baikonur.
Timezone
Asia/Qyzylorda
Local Launch Time
Feb 21, 1996, 5:34 PM
Total Launches
1,564
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
45.9650, 63.3050
