Soyuz rockets: the workhorses of Russia’s space programme
Russia’s veteran Soyuz rockets have been in use since the mid-1960s, when they were the workhorse of the Soviet space programme.
They play a vital role in supplying the International Space Station, carrying all astronauts to the ISS with the temporary end of the US-manned space programme in 2011.
The latest version of the Soyuz was first flown in 2004, and makes regular supply missions to the space station, carrying everything from food and fuel to equipment for experiments.
The most recent cargo missions flew from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union.
A three-stage rocket, the current Soyuz 2 model is capable of lifting about 2,400 kilograms into low Earth orbit in an unmanned Progress freighter. The final stage of the rocket lifts the Progress into position for its final rendezvous with the ISS before burning up on re-entry.
Unlike the latest reusable US supply ships, each Progress capsule is discarded after use. After unloading, astronauts load the ship with discarded materials, which are then destroyed as it falls back to Earth.
The latest Soyuz mission took off on Saturday with the Progress MS-07 supply capsule, and docked with the space station on Monday, the same day the third stage was scheduled to crash back to Earth, and the evening when burning trails were seen over the UAE.