Soyuz TMA-16M

Russian space mission

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July 21, 2026

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The Soyuz TMA-16M was a Russian space mission that transported crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission launched on March 27, 2015, and returned to Earth on March 2, 2016.12

The crew members aboard Soyuz TMA-16M included Gennadi Padalka, Mikhail Korniyenko, and Scott Kelly. This mission was notable for Scott Kelly's extended stay of 340 days, which was the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut at that time. The primary objective of this extended mission was to study the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body, comparing Scott Kelly's physiological changes with those of his twin brother, Mark Kelly, who remained on Earth. The ISS itself is a collaborative project involving multiple space agencies, serving as a microgravity laboratory for scientific research.1234

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Scott Kelly
…returned to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-16M as part of a special mission in which he and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko spent 340 days in space, which was the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut. Scott broke the American record for most cumulative time in space, having spent 520 days…
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…returned to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-16M as part of a special mission in which he and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko spent 340 days in space, which was the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut. Scott broke the American record for most cumulative time in space, having spent 520 days…
Read More