Soyuz Crew Arrive Safely at the ISS after Solar Array Deployment Issue

Astronauts and Cosmonauts will tell you that no launch is routine, you have to prepare for every contingency. That was clear yesterday when after launch one of the two solar panel arrays on the Soyuz failed to deploy. It wasn’t, as it turns out a serious issue, as the Soyuz docked with the ISS safely. And it seems the slight jar of docking seemingly caused the array to suddenly deploy.

The crew of the Soyuz, Expedition 41/42 Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev, Flight Engineers Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Barry Wilmore of NASA are now safely on the ISS after hatch opening late last evening.

From NASA, “after launching, Samokutyaev, Serova and Wilmore arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 26 following a six-hour rendezvous. They docked their craft to the Poisk module on the Russian segment of the complex and were greeted by station Commander Max Suraev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman of NASA and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency. As the hatches were opened, the families of the newly arrived crew and American and Russian space officials viewed the activities from Baikonur near the launch site. Serova is the first Russian female cosmonaut to live and work aboard the International Space Station.”