Russia's early space stations (1969-1985)
Related pages:
Soyuz 7K-TM No. 71 (Kosmos-638)
The editor would like to thank Michael Lutomski and his staff at Johnson Space Center, Houston, for corrections.
The Salyut era: First space stations
During the 1970s, the USSR launched a series of progressively sophisticated orbital laboratories serving as habitats for increasingly lenghty crew visits. They were preparing the foundation for permanent presence of humans in the Earth's orbit.
Previous chapter: Soviet lunar program
Key figures in the Soviet space program attending launch in Tyuratam in the mid 1970s (left to right): cosmonauts Georgy Beregovoy and Vladimir Shatalov, Designer General of NPO Energia Valentin Glushko, Minister of General Machine-building Sergey Afanasiev, Director of NPO Energia's ZEM experimental plant Konstantin Vachnadze and General Kerim Kerimov, the Chairman of the State Commission. Photo-collage by Anatoly Zak
The USSR begins enduring space station program
Faced with the loss of the Moon Race in 1969, Soviet space strategists conceived a detour of the national human space flight effort to a less expensive but what would turn out to be a lasting effort — the development of a long-term habitat in space.
Conceived, designed and assembled in merely 16 months, Salyut-1 was the product of a three-shift, no-days-off working marathon and the epitome of improvisation. Many design decisions were made right “in the field” during the actual assembly of the station, with leading engineers keeping round-the-clock vigil at the Khrunichev production plant.
Design of the first Salyut space station
The Salyut space station, identified in the industrial documentation as 17K, structurally consisted of a transfer compartment with a diameter of 2.1 meters, followed by the main work section, in turn containing a science instrument compartment, and closed up with an instrument section.
The USSR orbits its first space station
On April 19, 1971, at 04:40 Moscow Time, a three-stage UR-500K (Proton) rocket lifted off from the "Right" pad at Site 81 in Tyuratam and a few minutes later successfully delivered into orbit the first 17K space station (No. 12101). Unknown to the world, the name Zarya (sunrise) had been painted on its body, however the official Soviet media announced it as Salyut-1.
The USSR launches first space station crew
Four days after the Salyut space station entered orbit, the first crew was also on its way. After one aborted launch attempt, the Soyuz-10 transport ship lifted off with three cosmonauts in early hours of April 23, 1971, and reached the station the following day, but then ran into a string of potentially dangerous problems just inches away from its destination.
Soyuz-11 begins a fateful expedition to Salyut
On June 6, 1971, three Soviet cosmonauts, assigned to the flight at the last minute, departed Earth aboard the Soyuz-11 spacecraft for a record-breaking month-long flight aboard the Salyut space station.
On June 30, 1971, the three members of the Soyuz-11 crew lost their lives just minutes from landing when their Descent Module suddenly depressurized on its way back to Earth from the Salyut orbital laboratory.
Kosmos-496: Fixing Soyuz-11 flaws
On June 26, 1972, the Soviet space program made its first major step on a difficult road to recovery from the Soyuz-11 disaster a year earlier. The upgraded version of the 7K-T vehicle orbited the Earth without crew in the autonomous flight under name Kosmos-496.
On July 29, 1972, the USSR attempted to launch a second copy of the Salyut space station, however, its UR-500K (Proton) rocket failed to reach orbit, so the mission was never publicly announced.
Salyut space station gets first major upgrade (INSIDER CONTENT)
Based on the very mixed experience in launching and operating the first two Salyut space stations in 1971 and 1972, Soviet engineers at the TsKBEM design bureau built a second pair of orbital labs internally known as DOS-7K No. 3 and No. 4. Despite their designations, they differed significantly from their two predecessors.
DOS-7K No. 3: Skylab's challenger
On May 11, 1973, the USSR launched its fourth space station and the first major upgrade of the original Salyut design, just days ahead of the American Skylab. The 19-ton Soviet lab reached orbit as planned, but an immediate crisis put Soviet engineering and mission control teams to a severe test... Today, it is often only an asterisk in history books, but in 1973, the launch of DOS-3 produced a political earthquake across the Soviet space program and even got the KGB involved.
Kosmos-573: Re-confirming Soyuz fixes
On June 15, 1973, a heavily modified version of the Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft went into orbit without crew or much publicity on its second mission to ensure that all the lessons from the fatal Soyuz-11 accident in 1971 had been learned. In addition, the test flight sought to resolve problems encountered during the ill-fated launch of a Salyut space station a month earlier.
Soyuz-12: USSR resumes crew missions after deadly accident
In September 1973, the Soyuz-12 spacecraft carried two cosmonauts on a test mission of the new crew vehicle variant modified after the loss of three cosmonauts aboard Soyuz-11 more than two years earlier.
Kosmos-613: Soyuz flies a two-month endurance mission
From Nov. 30, 1973, until Jan. 28, 1974, a Soyuz spacecraft without crew secretly orbited the Earth, testing the limits of its onboard systems and setting a new record for its autonomous mission.
Soyuz-13 flies pioneering astronomy mission
In December 1973, two cosmonauts launched into space aboard a custom-built Soyuz-13 spacecraft, carrying the Orion-2 telescope for astrophysical observations. During the eight-day flight, the overworked crew collected a wealth of ultraviolet data from mysterious and little-known objects in the Universe.
Soyuz 7K-TM variant for the US-Soviet joint mission
A specialized version of the Soyuz spacecraft originally known as 7K-TM was custom-designed for the joint mission with the US Apollo spacecraft in 1975. It was equipped with a new type of a docking port dubbed APAS for Androgynous Peripheral Attach System.
Kosmos-638: First rehearsal of a joint mission with Apollo (INSIDER CONTENT)
On April 3, 1974, the USSR launched an unpiloted test version of a modified Soyuz vehicle, which it hoped to eventually use for an orbital docking with the American Apollo spacecraft. Despite the international nature of the project, the introduction of the new variant was shrouded in usual Soviet secrecy and was barely documented in history books.
Soyuz-14: The USSR launches first military station crew
On July 3, 1974, the Soyuz-14 mission carried what was announced as an expedition to the newly launched Salyut-3 space station. In fact, it was a specialized military team heading to the Almaz OPS-2 orbital observation outpost publicly camouflaged behind the civilian space station program. For the first time, a piloted military orbiter armed with a self-defense gun and an array of reconnaissance equipment operated in space.
The USSR develops new variant of the Soyuz spacecraft — 7KS
Fast-paced upgrades of the Soyuz spacecraft in the early 1970s included work on the most-advanced version of ship at the time, called 7K-S, initially conceived for the military. It never reached operational status but paved the way for the 7K-ST variant (Soyuz-T) which became the workhorse of the Russian piloted space program in the 1980s.
The USSR launches Soyuz 7K-S variant (INSIDER CONTENT)
On Aug. 6, 1974, the USSR secretly launched an experimental version of the Soyuz spacecraft that opened a years-long flight test program that would lead to the Soyuz-T variant. The first mission, which lasted two days, was announced under the cover name Kosmos-670, but its true objectives were not acknowledged until the end of the Soviet period.
The USSR tests Soyuz for joint mission with the US (INSIDER CONTENT)
The original test flight program of the Soyuz 7K-TM variant, developed for the Apollo-Soyuz docking mission, envisioned one unpiloted launch and two dress rehearsal missions with cosmonauts onboard. However, numerous technical problems and equipment delays hampering the first test flight in April 1974 prompted Soviet officials to add another pilotless launch in August of the same year. It lifted off without much fanfare under the cover name Kosmos-672 on Aug. 12, 1974.
The Soviet military crew fails to reach its orbital post
On Aug. 26, 1974, the USSR launched the second expedition to the Almaz OPS-2 military space station, operating in Earth's orbit under the cover name Salyut-3. However, commander Gennady Sarafanov and flight engineer Lev Demin failed to dock their Soyuz-15 spacecraft to the outpost, narrowly avoiding a high-speed collision. The crew then urgently headed home after just two days in orbit.
Salyut-4: Finally a breakthrough
On Dec. 26, 1974, the USSR launched its sixth attempt to establish habitable base in orbit, taking into the account four years of very difficult experience in launching and operating such complex vehicles. This time, the space station, publicly announced as Salyut-4, worked well, setting the stage for a very busy year in space.
On Jan. 11, 1975, just three weeks after the launch of the Salyut-4 space station, the USSR orbited its first crew slated to occupy the outpost for nearly a month. During their expedition, members of the Soyuz-17 crew overcome a series of technical challenges to conduct pioneering research in orbit.
Soviet and Russian space station launches:
| Official name |
Type |
Developer |
Launch date |
Crews onboard |
Deorbited |
Notes |
| Salyut-1 |
DOS-1 (DOS-7K) |
TsKBEM |
1 |
Oct. 11, 1971 |
The first crew docked but was not able to enter the station. | |
| Unannounced |
DOS-2 |
TsKBEM |
July 29, 1972 |
Did not reach the orbit due to the Proton launcher failure. | ||
| Salyut-2 |
OPS-1 (Almaz) |
TsKBM |
April 3, 1973 |
May 28, 1973 |
Depressurized after being hit by debris from the exploded Proton upper stage. | |
| Kosmos-557 |
TsKBEM |
May 11, 1973 |
May 1973 |
A control system failure caused the drainage of the onboard fuel. | ||
| Salyut-3 |
OPS-2 (Almaz) |
TsKBM |
June 25, 1974 |
1 |
||
| Salyut-4 |
TsKBEM |
Dec. 26, 1974 |
2 |
Feb. 3, 1977 |
||
| Salyut-5 |
OPS-3 (Almaz) |
TsKBM |
June 22, 1976 |
2 |
August 8, 1977 |
|
| Salyut-6 |
DOS-5 |
NPO Energia |
Sept. 29, 1977 |
16 |
July 28, 1982 |
The first crew was not able to dock with the station |
| Salyut-7 |
DOS-5-2 |
NPO Energia |
April 19 , 1982 |
9 |
Feb. 7, 1991 |
|
| Mir |
DOS-7 |
NPO Energia |
Feb. 20, 1986 |
Core module of the Mir space station | ||
| Zvezda |
DOS-8 |
RKK Energia |
July 12, 2000 |
In orbit |
A service module for the International Space Station, ISS |
Soviet launches related to space station projects and solo Soyuz flights in 1971-1985:
| Official name |
Industrial designation |
Launch date |
Landing date |
Crew |
Notes |
| Salyut-1 | |||||
| Soyuz-10 |
7K-T No. 31 |
April 23, 1971 |
April 24, 1971 |
Vladimir
Shatalov |
Docked to Salyut-1 on April 24. Failed to transfer into the station |
| Soyuz-11 |
7K-T No. 32 |
June 6, 1971 |
Georgy
Dobrovolskiy |
Docked to Salyut-1 from June 7 to June 29. The crew is lost due to depressurization during landing. |
|
| Kosmos-496 |
7K-T No. 33A |
June 26, 1972 |
July 1, 1972 |
A solo flight testing upgrades after the Soyuz-11 accident |
|
| Unannounced |
DOS-7K No. 2 |
July 29, 1972 |
Did not reach orbit due to a Proton launcher failure |
||
| Salyut-2 |
OPS-1 (Almaz) |
April 3, 1973 |
Depressurized after being hit by debris from an exploded Proton upper stage |
||
| Kosmos-557 |
DOS-7K No. 3 |
May 11, 1973 |
Control system failure caused loss of onboard propellant | ||
| Kosmos-573 |
7K-T No. 36 |
June 15, 1973 |
June 17, 1973 |
Unpiloted solo test flight |
|
| Soyuz-12 | 7K-T No. 37 |
Sept. 27, 1973 |
Sept. 29, 1973 |
Vasily Lazarev |
7K-T test flight |
| Kosmos-613 |
7K-T No. 34A |
Nov. 30, 1973 |
Jan. 28, 1974 |
7K-T test flight |
|
| Soyuz-13 |
7K-T No. 33 |
Dec. 18, 1973 |
Dec. 26, 1973 |
Petr
Klimuk |
|
| Kosmos-638 (Insider Content) |
7K-TM No. 71 |
April 3, 1974 |
April 13, 1974 |
Preparation for Soyuz-Apollo mission |
|
| Kosmos-656 (Insider Content) |
7K-T No. 61 |
May 27, 1974 |
May 29, 1974 |
7K-T test version for the Almaz project |
|
| Salyut-3 |
OPS-2 (Almaz) |
June 25, 1974 |
Jan. 25, 1975 |
||
| Soyuz-14 |
7K-T No. 62 |
July 3, 1974 |
July 19, 1974 |
Pavel
Popovich |
Docked to Salyut-3 from July 5 to July 19 |
| Kosmos-670 (Insider Content) |
7K-S No. 1L |
Aug. 6, 1974 |
Aug. 8, 1974 |
First test flight of 7K-S variant |
|
| Kosmos-672 (Insider Content) |
7K-TM No. 72 |
Aug. 12, 1974 |
Aug. 18, 1974 |
Preparation for Soyuz-Apollo mission |
|
| Soyuz-15 |
7K-T No. 63 |
August 26, 1974 |
Aug. 28, 1974 |
Gennady
Sarafanov |
Failed to dock with Salyut-3 due to a problem with the Igla rendezvous system |
| Soyuz-16 |
7K-TM No. 73 |
Dec. 2, 1974 |
Dec. 8, 1974 |
Anatoly
Filipchenko |
Solo test flight preparing the Apollo-Soyuz joint mission |
| Salyut-4 |
Dec. 26, 1974 |
||||
| Soyuz-17 |
7K-T No. 38 |
Jan. 11, 1975 |
Feb. 9, 1975 |
Aleksei Gubarev |
Docked to Salyut-4 from Jan. 12 to Feb. 9, 1975 |
| Soyuz-18-1 |
7K-T |
April 5, 1975 |
Vasily
Lazarev |
Suborbital flight due to third stage failure |
|
| Soyuz-18 |
7K-T |
May 24, 1975 |
July 26, 1975 |
Petr
Klimuk |
Docked to Salyut-4 from May 26 to July 26. |
| Soyuz-19 |
7K-TM |
July 15, 1975 |
July 21, 1975 |
Aleksei
Leonov |
Docked with Apollo July 17-19. |
| Kosmos-772 |
7K-S No. 2L |
Sept. 29, 1975 |
Oct. 2, 1975 |
7K-S/ST (Soyuz T) test flight |
|
| Soyuz-20 |
7K-T |
Nov. 17, 1975 |
Feb. 16, 1976 |
Docked to Salyut-4 from Nov. 19, 1975 to Feb. 16, 1976 |
|
| Salyut-5 |
OPS-3 (Almaz) |
June 22, 1976 |
|||
| Soyuz-21 |
7K-T |
July 6, 1976 |
Aug 24, 1976 |
Boris
Volynov |
Docked to Salyut-5 from July 7 to August 24. |
| Soyuz-22 |
7K-T |
Sept. 15, 1976 |
Sept. 23, 1976 |
Valery
Bykovsky |
Solo remote-sensing flight at 64.7-degree orbit |
| Soyuz-23 |
7K-T |
Oct. 14, 1976 |
Oct. 16, 1976 |
Vyacheslav
Zudov |
Failed to dock to Salyut-5. Splashed down in Lake Tengiz |
| Kosmos-869 |
7K-S No. 3L |
Nov. 29, 1976 |
Dec. 17, 1976 |
7K-S/ST (Soyuz T) test flight |
|
| Soyuz-24 |
7K-T |
Feb. 7, 1977 |
Feb. 25, 1977 |
Viktor
Gorbatko |
Docked to Salyut-5 from Feb. 8 to Feb. 25 |
| Kosmos-929 |
July 17, 1977 |
Aug. 16, 1977 (unmanned capsule) |
TKS test. Deorbited Feb. 2, 1978 |
||
| Salyut-6 |
DOS-7K No. 5-1 |
Sept. 29, 1977 |
|||
| Soyuz-25 |
7K-T |
Oct. 9, 1977 |
Oct. 11, 1977 |
Vladimir
Kovalenok |
Failed to dock to Salyut-6 |
| Soyuz-26 |
7K-T |
Dec. 10, 1977 |
Jan. 16, 1978 |
Yury
Romanenko |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Dec. 11 to Jan. 16. |
| Soyuz-27 |
7K-T |
Jan. 10, 1978 |
March 16, 1978 |
Vladimir
Dzhanibekov |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Jan. 11 to March 16. |
| Progress-1 |
Jan. 20, 1978 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Jan. 22 to Feb. 6. Deorbited Feb. 8 |
|||
| Soyuz-28 |
7K-T |
March 3, 1978 |
March 10, 1978 |
Aleksei
Gubarev |
Docked to Salyut-6 from March 3 to March 10. |
| Kosmos-1001 |
7K-ST No. 4L |
April 4, 1978 |
April 15, 1978 |
- |
7K-ST (Soyuz T) test flight |
| Soyuz-29 |
7K-T |
June 15, 1978 |
Sept. 3, 1978 |
Vladimir
Kovalenok |
Docked to Salyut-6 from June 16 to Sept 3. |
| Soyuz-30 |
7K-T |
June 27, 1978 |
July 5, 1978 |
Peter
Klimuk |
Docked to Salyut-6 from June 28 to July 5. |
| Progress-2 |
July 7, 1978 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from July 9 to Aug. 2. Deorbited Aug. 4 |
|||
| Progress-3 |
Aug. 8, 1978 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Aug. 10 to Aug. 21. Deorbited Aug. 24 |
|||
| Soyuz-31 |
7K-T |
Aug. 26, 1978 |
Nov. 2, 1978 |
Valery
Bykovskiy |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Aug 27 to Nov. 11. Redocked Sept. 7 |
| Progress-4 |
Oct. 4, 1978 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Oct. 6 to Oct. 24. Deorbited Oct. 26 |
|||
| Kosmos-1074 |
7K-ST No. 5L |
Jna. 31, 1979 |
April 1, 1979 |
7K-ST (Soyuz T) test flight |
|
| Soyuz-32 |
7K-T |
Feb. 25, 1979 |
June 13, 1979 |
Vladimir
Lyakhov |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Feb. 26 to June 13. Landed unmanned |
| Progress-5 |
March 12, 1979 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from March 14 to April 3. Deorbited April 5 |
|||
| Soyuz-33 |
7K-T |
April 10, 1979 |
April 12, 1979 |
Nikolai
Rukavishnikov, |
Failed to dock with Salyut-6 |
| Progress-6 |
May 13, 1979 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from May 15 to June 8. Deorbited June 10 |
|||
| Soyuz-34 |
7K-T |
June 6, 1979 |
Aug. 19, 1979 |
launched without crew |
Docked to Salyut-6 from June 7 to Aug. 19. Redocked June 14 |
| Progress-7 |
June 28, 1979 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from June 30 to July 18. Deorbited July 20 |
|||
| Soyuz T |
7K-ST No. 6L |
Dec. 16, 1979 |
March 26, 1980 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Dec. 19 to March 24. |
|
| Progress-8 |
- |
March 27, 1980 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from March 29 to April 25. Deorbited April 26 |
||
| Soyuz-35 |
7K-T |
April 9, 1980 |
June 3, 1980 |
Leonid
Popov, |
Docked to Salyut-6 from April 10 to June 3. |
| Progress-9 |
April 27, 1980 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from April 29 to May 20. Deorbited May 22 |
|||
| Soyuz-36 |
7K-T |
May 26, 1980 |
July 31, 1980 |
Valery
Kubasov |
Docked to Salyut-6 from May 27 to July 31. Redocked on June 4. |
| Soyuz T-2 |
7K-ST No. 7L |
June 5, 1980 |
June 9, 1980 |
Yuri
Malushev |
Docked to Salyut-6 from June 6 to June 9. |
| Progress-10 |
June 29, 1980 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from July 1 to July 18. Deorbited July 19 |
|||
| Soyuz-37 |
7K-T |
July 23, 1980 |
Oct. 11, 1980 |
Viktor
Gorbatko |
Docked to Salyut-6 from July 24 to Oct. 11. (Redocked on Aug. 1) |
| Soyuz-38 |
7K-T |
Sept. 18, 1980 |
Sept. 26, 1980 |
Yuri
Romanenko |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Sept. 19 to Sept. 26. |
| Progress-11 |
Sept. 28, 1980 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Sept. 30 to Dec. 9. Deorbited Dec. 11 |
|||
| Soyuz T-3 |
7K-ST No. 8L |
Nov. 27, 1980 |
Dec. 12, 1980 |
Leonid
Kizim |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Nov. 28 to Dec. 12. |
| Progress-12 |
Jan. 24, 1981 |
Docked to Salyut-6 from Jan. 26 to March 19. Deorbited March 21 |
|||
| Soyuz T-4 |
March 12, 1981 |
May 26, 1981 |
Vladimir
Kovalenok, |
Docked to Salyut-6 from March 13 to May 26. |
|
| Soyuz-39 |
7K-T |
March 22, 1981 |
March 30, 1981 |
Vladimir
Dzhanibekov |
Docked to Salyut-6 from March 23 to March 30. |
| Kosmos-1267 |
April 21, 1981 |
May 24, 1981 (unmanned capsule) |
Docked to Salyut-7 June 19. Deorbited with Salyut-6 |
||
| Soyuz-40 |
7K-T |
May 14, 1981 |
May 22, 1981 |
Leonid
Popov, |
Docked to Salyut-6 from May 15 to May 22. |
| Salyut-7 |
DOS-5-2 |
April 19, 1982 |
|||
| Soyuz T-5 |
7K-ST |
May 13, 1982 |
Aug. 27, 1982 |
Anatoly
Berezovoy, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from May 14 to Aug. 27. |
| Progress-13 |
May 23, 1982 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from May 25 to June 4. Deorbited June 6 |
|||
| Soyuz T-6 |
7K-ST |
June 24, 1982 |
July 2, 1982 |
Vladimir
Dzhanibekov, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from June 25 to July 2. |
| Progress-14 |
July 10, 1982 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from July 12 to Aug. 11. Deorbited Aug. 13 |
|||
| Soyuz T-7 |
7K-ST |
Aug. 19 , 1982 |
Dec. 10, 1982 |
Leonid
Popov, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Aug. 20 to Dec. 10 |
| Progress-15 |
Sept. 18, 1982 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Sept. 20 to Oct. 14. Deorbited Oct. 16 |
|||
| Progress-16 |
Oct. 31, 1982 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Nov. 2 to Dec. 13. Deorbited Dec. 14 |
|||
| Kosmos-1443 |
March 2, 1983 |
Aug. 23, 1983 (unmanned capsule) |
Docked to Salyut-7 from March 10 Aug. 14. Deorbited Sept. 19 |
||
| Soyuz T-8 |
7K-ST |
April 20, 1983 |
April 22, 1983 |
Vladmir
Titov, |
Failed to dock to Salyut-7. |
| Soyuz T-9 |
7K-ST |
June 27, 1983 |
Nov. 23, 1983 |
Vladimir
Lyakhov, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from June 28 to Nov. 23 |
| Progress-17 |
Aug. 17, 1983 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Aug. 19 to Sept. 17. Deorbited Sept. 18 |
|||
| Soyuz T |
7K-ST No. 16L |
Sept. 26, 1983 |
Vladimir
Titov, |
Launch vehicle exploded on the pad. Escape system saved the crew |
|
| Progress-18 |
Oct. 20, 1983 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Oct. 22 to Nov. 13. Deorbited Nov. 16 |
|||
| Soyuz T-10 |
7K-ST |
Feb. 8, 1984 |
April 11, 1984 |
Leonid
Kizim, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Feb. 9 to April 11 |
| Progress-19 |
Feb. 20, 1984 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Feb. 22 to March 31. Deorbited April 1 |
|||
| Soyuz T-11 |
April 3, 1984 |
Oct. 2, 1984 |
Yuri
Malyshev, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from April 4 to - Oct. 2 Redocked on April 13 |
|
| Progress-20 |
April 15, 1984 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from April 17 to May 6. Deorbited May 7 |
|||
| Progress-21 |
May 7, 1984 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from May 10 to May 26. Deorbited May 26 |
|||
| Progress-22 |
May 28, 1984 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from May 30 to July 15. Deorbited July 15 |
|||
| Soyuz T-12 |
July 17, 1984 |
July 29, 1984 |
Vladmir
Dzhanibekov, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from July 18 to July 29 |
|
| Progress-23 |
Aug. 14, 1984 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Aug. 16 to Aug. 26. Deorbited Aug. 28 |
|||
| Soyuz T-13 |
June 6, 1985 |
Sept. 26, 1985 |
Vladimir
Dzhanibekov, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from June 8 to Sept. 25 |
|
| Progress-24 |
June 21, 1985 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from June 23 to July 15. Deorbited July 15 |
|||
| Kosmos-1669 |
July 16, 1985 |
Docked to Salyut-7 from July 18 Aug. 28. Deorbited Aug. 30 |
|||
| Soyuz T-14 |
Sept. 17, 1985 |
Nov. 21, 1985 |
Vladimir
Vasyutin, |
Docked to Salyut-7 from Sept. 18 to Nov. 21 |
|
| Kosmos-1686 |
Sept. 27, 1985 |
Docked to Salyut-7 on Oct. 2, 1985 |
Next chapter: Mir space station
This page is compiled and maintained by Anatoly Zak
Last update: January 11, 2025
All rights reserved
An early Soviet concept of a space station formulated at TsNIIMash research institute.
Soyuz launch to the Salyut-1 space station. Credit: RKK Energia
A possible view of the first Salyut space station in orbit. Credit: RKK Energia
After the loss of the first crew of the Salyut space station during landing, pressure suits (right) were introduced for launch, landing and docking operations. Standard Pinguin suits (left) were worn during work inside the station. The equipment shown was used during the Interkosmos program in the late 1970s. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak
The DOS-7K No. 2 space station.
Scale model of the second-generation Salyut space station, which included independently guided solar arrays. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak
The US Apollo and the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft docked for eternity in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Copyright © 2002 Anatoly Zak
A 3rd generation Salyut space station, differed from its predecessors by a second docking port and a capability to be refueled in orbit from Progress cargo ships. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak
A scale model of the 3rd generation Salyut space station docked with two transport spacecraft -- the Progress cargo ship and the Soyuz manned spacecraft. Apparently, no photos of such configuration exist. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak
The Orlan spacesuit, which had been used onboard the Mir space station. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak
To negate influence of weightlessness after long-duration flights, the Salyut crewmembers were wearing Chibis suits at the end of their missions. The Chibis suits create low-pressure in the lower parts of the body, driving more blood toward legs as caused by gravity on Earth. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak