Soyuz TMA-4

Soyuz TMA-4 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle. It was launched on 19 April 2004 (UTC) from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Gennady Padalka from Russia, Michael Fincke from the US and André Kuipers from the Netherlands were flown to the International Space Station. Kuipers returned to Earth 9 days later together with ISS crew 8 with the re-entry module of the Soyuz TMA-3, the other two stayed as ISS crew 9. The craft landed 24 October 2004 with Padalka, Fincke and Yuri Shargin aboard.

Mission parameters

• Mass: ? kg
• Perigee: 200 km
• Apogee: 252 km
• Inclination: 51.7°
• Period: 88.7 minutes

Docking with ISS

• Docked to ISS: 21 April 2004, 05:01 UTC (to nadir port of Zarya)
• Undocked from ISS: 23 October 2004, 21:08 UTC (from nadir port of Zarya)

Mission highlights

Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft approaches the ISS.

Soyuz TMA-4 is a Russian passenger spacecraft that was launched by a Soyuz-FG rocket from Baikonur at 03:19 UT on 19 April 2004. It carried three astronauts (a Russian, an American and a Dutchman) to the International Space Station (ISS) and docked with the Zarya module of the ISS automatically on 21 April at 05:01 UT. Two of its astronauts remained in the ISS for about six months, while the Dutch astronaut and the two astronauts who had inhabited the ISS for several months left the ISS on 29 April in the TMA-3 that had remained docked with the ISS, soft landing in Kazakhstan at 00:11 on 30 April.

The Expedition 10 crew, Leroy Chiao-Cdr U.S.A. and Salizhan Sharipov-Russia replaced the Expedition 9 crew, Gennady Padalka-Cdr Russia and Michael Fincke-Flight Engineer-U.S.A. on 16 October 2004.