# Soyuz TM-29

> space mission program Sojuz

**Wikidata**: [Q1051236](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1051236)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_TM-29)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/soyuz-tm-29

## Summary
Soyuz TM-29 was a Russian human spaceflight mission using a Soyuz-TM spacecraft that launched on 1999-02-20 and landed on 1999-08-28. It was operated by the Roscosmos State Corporation, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome (Gagarin's Start) on a Soyuz-U rocket, and carried a multi-person crew including spacecraft commander Viktor Afanasyev.

## Key Facts
- Launch date: 1999-02-20 (launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Gagarin's Start).  
- Landing date: 1999-08-28 (landing location: Kazakhstan).  
- Spacecraft class / instance: Soyuz-TM (human spaceflight).  
- Launch vehicle: Soyuz-U.  
- Operator: Roscosmos State Corporation.  
- COSPAR ID: 1999-007A.  
- Mass at takeoff: 7,150 kilograms.  
- Mission duration (recorded): 16,316,179 seconds.  
- Orbital regime: low Earth orbit with periapsis 188 km and apoapsis 273 km.  
- Orbital inclination: 51.66°.  
- Orbital period: 88.6 minutes.  
- Orbits completed: 3,070.  
- Crew (roles as recorded): Viktor Afanasyev (spacecraft commander), Jean-Pierre Haigneré (Flight Engineer 1), Ivan Bella (Research Cosmonaut — applies to takeoff), Sergey Avdeyev (Flight Engineer 1 — applies to landing).  
- Part of: Soyuz programme.  
- Preceded by: Soyuz TM-28.  
- Followed by: Soyuz TM-30.  
- Native label: Союз ТМ-29.  
- Aliases: ソユーズ TM-29, 联盟TM-29号.  
- Mission significant events recorded: rocket launch at Gagarin's Start on 1999-02-20 and landing in Kazakhstan on 1999-08-28.  
- Mission imagery and media: crew portrait image and mission logo available (Commons files referenced).

## FAQs
### Q: What was Soyuz TM-29?
A: Soyuz TM-29 was a Russian crewed space mission using a Soyuz-TM spacecraft launched on 20 February 1999 and landed on 28 August 1999. It was part of the Soyuz programme and was operated by Roscosmos.

### Q: Who flew on Soyuz TM-29?
A: The recorded crew for Soyuz TM-29 includes Viktor Afanasyev (spacecraft commander), Jean-Pierre Haigneré (Flight Engineer 1), Ivan Bella (Research Cosmonaut; applies to takeoff), and Sergey Avdeyev (Flight Engineer 1; applies to landing).

### Q: What were Soyuz TM-29’s orbital parameters?
A: Soyuz TM-29 operated in low Earth orbit with a periapsis of 188 km, an apoapsis of 273 km, an inclination of 51.66°, and an orbital period of about 88.6 minutes.

### Q: Which rocket launched Soyuz TM-29 and from where?
A: Soyuz TM-29 was launched on a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, specifically from the Gagarin's Start launch point.

## Why It Matters
Soyuz TM-29 is a representative mission in the long-running Soyuz programme, demonstrating the Soyuz-TM spacecraft's role in transporting and rotating crews in low Earth orbit. The mission contributed to sustained human presence and operations in LEO by providing reliable crew transfer and return capability over an extended mission duration (recorded at 16,316,179 seconds and completing 3,070 orbits). It used the well-established Soyuz-U launch vehicle from the historic Gagarin's Start pad, under the operation of Roscosmos, reinforcing the continuity of Russian human spaceflight operations in the late 1990s. The documented crew composition shows use of the Soyuz system for missions involving multiple crew-role handovers (noting members who applied to takeoff vs. landing), illustrating typical crew rotation practices. Orbital details—periapsis, apoapsis, inclination, and orbital period—place the mission squarely within standard LEO logistics and engineering constraints relevant to station support, scientific work, and testing of spacecraft systems.

## Notable For
- Launch and recovery timeframe: launched 1999-02-20 and landed 1999-08-28, a recorded mission duration of 16,316,179 seconds and 3,070 orbits completed.  
- Crew role changes: manifest records show different crew members applying to takeoff and landing (Ivan Bella recorded for takeoff; Sergey Avdeyev recorded for landing).  
- Use of classic hardware and site: flown on a Soyuz-TM spacecraft launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from Gagarin's Start at Baikonur.  
- Clear documented orbital profile: periapsis 188 km, apoapsis 273 km, inclination 51.66°, and period 88.6 minutes.  
- Mass at liftoff: recorded takeoff mass of 7,150 kg.

## Body

### Mission overview
- Name: Soyuz TM-29 (native label: Союз ТМ-29).  
- Instance of: Soyuz-TM spacecraft class; categorized as human spaceflight.  
- Part of the Soyuz programme and operated by Roscosmos State Corporation.  
- COSPAR ID: 1999-007A.

### Launch and landing
- Launch date and event: rocket launch recorded at Gagarin's Start, Baikonur Cosmodrome, on 1999-02-20.  
- Launch vehicle: Soyuz-U.  
- Landing date and event: landing recorded in Kazakhstan on 1999-08-28.  
- Significant events recorded: liftoff from Gagarin's Start (1999-02-20) and landing in Kazakhstan (1999-08-28).

### Crew
- Viktor Afanasyev — spacecraft commander.  
- Jean-Pierre Haigneré — Flight Engineer 1.  
- Ivan Bella — Research Cosmonaut (applies to takeoff).  
- Sergey Avdeyev — Flight Engineer 1 (applies to landing).  
- The manifest records show crew role assignments that vary between launch and landing.

### Spacecraft and launch vehicle
- Spacecraft class: Soyuz-TM (fourth generation Soyuz spacecraft class).  
- Launch mass at takeoff: 7,150 kg.  
- Launch vehicle: Soyuz-U.  
- Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Gagarin's Start.

### Orbital parameters and mission statistics
- Orbital regime: low Earth orbit.  
- Periapsis: 188 km (Earth).  
- Apoapsis: 273 km (Earth).  
- Orbital inclination: 51.66°.  
- Orbital period: 88.6 minutes.  
- Orbits completed during mission: 3,070.  
- Recorded mission duration: 16,316,179 seconds.

### Related missions
- Preceded by: Soyuz TM-28.  
- Followed by: Soyuz TM-30.  
- Part of the continuous Soyuz programme missions sequence.

### Media and identifiers
- Mission logo file: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Soyuz_TM-29_logo_SVG.svg  
- Crew portrait image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Soyuz_TM-29_Crew_Portrait.jpg  
- Wikipedia title: Soyuz TM-29.  
- Commons category: Soyuz TM-29.  
- Freebase ID: /m/03h4xj.  
- Encyclopædia Britannica identifier: topic/Soyuz-TM-29.

## Schema Markup
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  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Soyuz TM-29",
  "description": "Soyuz TM-29 was a 1999 Russian human spaceflight mission using a Soyuz-TM spacecraft, launched on 1999-02-20 and landed on 1999-08-28.",
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  "sameAs": [
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  "additionalType": "Soyuz-TM human spaceflight"
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## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. [Source](http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-tm-29.htm)