ISS Expedition 30/31

Mission Profile

Overview

Expedition 30/31 placed the crew at the threshold of the commercial spaceflight era. Russian commander Oleg Kononenko launched aboard Soyuz TMA-03M in December 2011 with NASA's Don Pettit and ESA's André Kuipers, who flew the PromISSe mission. The defining moment came in May 2012, when SpaceX's uncrewed Dragon capsule made the first commercial rendezvous with the ISS — and Don Pettit, working Canadarm2 from inside the cupola, reached out and grappled it, declaring he had "got a dragon by the tail." It was the first time a privately built spacecraft was berthed to the station, opening the cargo-resupply era that still sustains the ISS. Kononenko also led two spacewalks during the increment. The trio returned in July 2012 after 193 days, having flown a mission that quietly changed how the station is supplied.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 2011-12-21

   Soyuz TMA-03M launches with Kononenko, Pettit and ESA's André Kuipers

2. 2011-12-23

   Docking to the Rassvet module; the crew joins Expedition 30

3. 2012-05-25

   Don Pettit grapples SpaceX Dragon with Canadarm2 — first commercial spacecraft berthed to the ISS

4. 2012-07-01

   Soyuz TMA-03M lands in Kazakhstan, ending the 193-day flight

Key Achievements

• Don Pettit captured the first commercial SpaceX Dragon to berth at the ISS (May 2012)

• Opened the commercial cargo-resupply era that still sustains the station

• Kononenko commanded Expedition 31 and led two spacewalks

Related Missions

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Expedition 31
2. Wikipedia — Expedition 30
3. NASASpaceflight — Soyuz TMA-03M returns to Earth