Image: NASA / Roscosmos (public domain)
ISS Expedition 47/48
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2016-03-18 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 (Gagarin's Start) |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-FG |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz TMA-20M |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 2016-09-07 |
| Duration | 172 days 3 hours 47 minutes |
| Partners | NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, CSA |
Overview
Soyuz TMA-20M closed out an era: it was the final flight of the long-serving Soyuz TMA-M design before the upgraded Soyuz MS took over. Rookie Russian Air Force pilot Alexei Ovchinin commanded the descent module on his first mission, flanked by veteran cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and NASA's Jeff Williams, who on this 172-day flight became the American record-holder for cumulative time in space (534 days across four missions). Spanning Expeditions 47 and 48, the crew supported the arrival of SpaceX CRS-8, which delivered the experimental Bigelow Expandable Activity Module — the first inflatable habitat berthed to the station. In August, Williams and Kate Rubins ventured outside to install the first International Docking Adapter, preparing the station for the new generation of US commercial crew vehicles. The trio landed safely on the Kazakh steppe in early September 2016.
Crew
Alexei Ovchinin
Soyuz Commander; ISS Flight Engineer (Roscosmos)
First spaceflight
Oleg Skripochka
ISS Flight Engineer (Roscosmos)
Second spaceflight
Jeffrey Williams
ISS Flight Engineer (Exp 47), Commander (Exp 48), NASA
Fourth flight; set the US cumulative-time-in-space record (534 days)
Key Milestones
2016-03-18
Soyuz TMA-20M launches from Baikonur — the last flight of the Soyuz TMA-M series
2016-03-19
Soyuz docks with the ISS, joining the Expedition 47 crew
2016-04-10
SpaceX CRS-8 berths, delivering the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM)
2016-08-19
Williams and Rubins install the first International Docking Adapter (IDA-2) during an EVA
2016-09-07
Soyuz TMA-20M lands in Kazakhstan; Williams reaches 534 cumulative days in space
Key Achievements
Final flight of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft series before the Soyuz MS upgrade
Jeff Williams set the US record for cumulative time in space at 534 days
Supported delivery of BEAM, the first expandable (inflatable) habitat module on the ISS
Crew installed the first International Docking Adapter, enabling US commercial crew vehicles
