Editing Soyuz (rocket family) (section)

=== Soyuz 2 ===
{{main|Soyuz-2|Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre}}

[[Image:Soyuz 2 metop.jpg|thumb|[[Soyuz-2|Soyuz 2]] ready to launch (2007)]]

The venerable Soyuz launcher was gradually replaced by a new version, named [[Soyuz-2|Soyuz 2]], which has a new digital guidance system and a highly modified third stage with a new engine. The first development version of Soyuz 2 called [[Soyuz-2|Soyuz 2.1a]], which is equipped with the digital guidance system, but is still propelled by an old third stage engine, started on 4 November 2004 from [[Plesetsk]] on a suborbital test flight, followed by an orbital flight on 23 October 2006 from Baikonur. The fully modified launcher (version [[Soyuz-2|Soyuz 2.1b]]) flew first on 27 December 2006 with the [[CoRoT]] satellite from the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]].

On 19 January 2005, the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) and the [[Roscosmos]] agreed to launch Soyuz ST rockets from the [[Guiana Space Centre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Industry/Industry_how_to_do_business/Closer_ties_between_ESA_and_Russia|title=Closer ties between ESA and Russia|publisher=European Space Agency|date=19 January 2005|access-date=29 March 2013}}</ref> The equatorial launch site allows the Soyuz to deliver 2.7 to 4.9 tonnes into [[Sun-synchronous orbit]], depending on the third-stage engine used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bulletin132/bul132h_arend.pdf|title=Soyuz at the European Spaceport|publisher=European Space Agency|date=Nov 2007|access-date=29 March 2013}}</ref> Construction of a new pad started in 2005 and was completed in April 2011. The pad used vertical loading common at [[French Guiana]], unlike the horizontal loading used at the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/Soyuz_launch_site_ready_for_first_flight|title=Soyuz launch site ready for first flight|publisher=European Space Agency|date=1 April 2011|access-date=29 March 2013}}</ref> A simulated launch was conducted in early May 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/First_Soyuz_almost_ready_for_launch_from_French_Guiana|title=First Soyuz almost ready for launch from French Guiana|date=4 May 2011|publisher=European Space Agency|access-date=29 March 2013}}</ref> The first operational launch happened on 21 October 2011, bearing the first two satellites in [[Galileo (satellite navigation)|Galileo]] [[Global Positioning System|global positioning system]].

The [[Soyuz-U]] and [[Soyuz-FG]] rockets were gradually replaced by [[Soyuz-2 (rocket)|Soyuz 2]] from 2014 until 2019. Soyuz-U was retired in 2017,<ref>{{cite web |author=Gebhardt |first=Chris |date=February 21, 2017 |title=Longest-serving rocket in history bids farewell with Progress MS-05 launch |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/02/soyuz-u-progress-ms-05-launch/ |publisher=NasaSpaceFlight.com}}</ref> while Soyuz-FG carried [[Human spaceflight|astronaut crews]] to the [[International Space Station|ISS]] until September 2019 (final flight, [[Soyuz MS-15]], on 25 September 2019).

<gallery>
Image:RocketLaunch2018-08.jpg|Soyuz-2.1b (2018)
Image:"Soyuz" launch vehicles model series on MAKS-2021.jpg|From left: Soyuz-2.1v, Soyuz-2.1a, Soyuz-2.1b and [[Irtysh (rocket)|Soyuz-5]])
</gallery>