# Soyuz TMA-13

> crewed spaceflight to the International Space Station

**Wikidata**: [Q757035](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q757035)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_TMA-13)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/soyuz-tma-13

## Summary
Soyuz TMA-13 was a Russian crewed spaceflight launched on October 12, 2008, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). It transported two members of the Expedition 18 crew—Yury Lonchakov and Michael Fincke—along with private spaceflight participant Richard Garriott. The mission is notable for its distinct crew configuration, which brought Garriott to the ISS and returned Hungarian-American executive Charles Simonyi to Earth.

## Key Facts
- **Launch Date:** October 12, 2008
- **Landing Date:** April 8, 2009
- **Spacecraft Type:** Soyuz-TMA
- **Launch Vehicle:** Soyuz-FG
- **Operator:** Roscosmos State Corporation
- **COSPAR ID:** 2008-050A
- **Launch Site:** Baikonur Cosmodrome (Gagarin's Start)
- **Landing Site:** Kazakhstan (Coordinates: 48.57°N, 69.40°E)
- **Orbital Period:** 88.5 minutes
- **Orbital Inclination:** 51.64 degrees
- **Mission Sequence:** Preceded by Soyuz TMA-12; Followed by Soyuz TMA-14

## FAQs
### Q: Who were the primary crew members of Soyuz TMA-13?
A: The primary crew consisted of Russian commander Yury Lonchakov and American flight engineer Michael Fincke, who served as part of Expedition 18.

### Q: Which private astronauts flew on this mission?
A: Richard Garriott, a British-American video game developer, launched with Soyuz TMA-13. Charles Simonyi, a Hungarian-American software executive, returned to Earth on the vessel.

### Q: How long did the Soyuz TMA-13 mission last?
A: The spacecraft launched on October 12, 2008, and landed on April 8, 2009, remaining in orbit for nearly six months as a crew return vehicle for the ISS.

## Why It Matters
Soyuz TMA-13 played a critical role in sustaining human presence on the International Space Station during the late 2000s. As a vital link in the Soyuz program, it facilitated the rotation of the Expedition 18 crew, ensuring the station's continued operation and scientific output. The mission is historically significant for its involvement of two prominent private spaceflight participants. It launched Richard Garriott, a famous video game developer, and returned Charles Simonyi, a software executive, marking one of the few instances where distinct space tourists utilized the same specific spacecraft for different legs of their journeys (launch vs. landing). This highlighted the growing accessibility of space for private citizens during the era of the Russian Space Agency's coordination with Space Adventures. The mission also demonstrated the reliability of the Soyuz-TMA configuration and the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle, serving as a bridge between the earlier TMA-12 and later TMA-14 missions.

## Notable For
- **Crew Asymmetry:** Carried different private astronauts for launch (Richard Garriott) and landing (Charles Simonyi).
- **Celebrity Astronauts:** Featured Richard Garriott (creator of the Ultima video game series) and Charles Simonyi (Microsoft executive).
- **Expedition 18 Support:** Served as the transport for the core crew of Expedition 18.
- **Orbital Specifications:** Operated in a Low Earth Orbit with an orbital period of 88.5 minutes.
- **Heritage:** Part of the long-running Soyuz program, utilizing the Soyuz-FG rocket.

## Body

### Mission Profile
Soyuz TMA-13 was a human spaceflight mission launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It utilized a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle to lift the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft into Low Earth Orbit. The mission docked with the International Space Station to deliver crew members and remained attached as an emergency lifeboat until its departure in early 2009.

### Crew Manifest
The crew assignment for Soyuz TMA-13 was split between the launch and landing phases.

**Launch Crew (Oct 12, 2008):**
*   **Yury Lonchakov** (Russia): Spacecraft Commander, Expedition 18 Flight Engineer.
*   **Michael Fincke** (USA): Flight Engineer 1, Expedition 18 Commander.
*   **Richard Garriott** (USA/UK): Private Astronaut (Spaceflight Participant).

**Landing Crew (April 8, 2009):**
*   **Yury Lonchakov:** Spacecraft Commander.
*   **Michael Fincke:** Flight Engineer.
*   **Charles Simonyi** (USA/Hungary): Private Astronaut (Spaceflight Participant).

### Technical Specifications
The spacecraft was an instance of the **Soyuz-TMA** class (COSPAR ID: 2008-050A).
*   **Orbit:** Low Earth Orbit (Satellite of: Earth).
*   **Inclination:** 51.64 degrees.
*   **Orbital Period:** 88.5 minutes.
*   **Landing Coordinates:** 48.565°N, 69.397°E (Kazakhstan).

### Related Entities
*   **Preceded by:** Soyuz TMA-12
*   **Followed by:** Soyuz TMA-14
*   **Part of:** Soyuz programme

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Soyuz TMA-13",
  "description": "A Russian crewed spaceflight to the International Space Station launched in 2008.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_TMA-13"
  ],
  "additionalType": "HumanSpaceflight"
}

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. [Source](http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-tma-13.htm)
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013