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Site update log Site map Advertise Testimonials About this site About the author Mailbox SUPPORT THIS SITE! Related pages: Soyuz home page Salyut's origin Salyut development Salyut design Salyut-1 launch Soyuz-10 Soyuz-11 Soyuz-11 accident Kosmos-496 DOS-7K No. 2 DOS-3 & 4 INSIDER CONTENT DOS-7K No. 3 Soyuz 7K-T No. 36 Soyuz-12 Soyuz 7K-T No. 34A Soyuz-13 Soyuz 7K-TM Soyuz 7K-TM No. 71 (Kosmos-638) INSIDER CONTENT Soyuz 7K-T No. 61 INSIDER CONTENT Almaz OPS-2 Soyuz-14 Soyuz 7K-S 7K-S No. 1L (Kosmos-670) INSIDER CONTENT Soyuz 7K-TM No. 72 INSIDER CONTENT Soyuz-15 Soyuz-16 Salyut-4 Soyuz-17 Soyuz-18-1 Soyuz-18 Soyuz-19 Kosmos-772 INSIDER CONTENT Soyuz-20 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 During the 1960s, multiple organizations within the Soviet rocket industry studied projects of space stations, primarily with military goals. The most advanced was the Almaz project at the TsKBM design bureau in Reutov, which entered the full-scale development phase, despite considerable technical and political challenges. In 1969, the rival TsKBEM bureau in Podlipki convinced the Kremlin to endorse its own "crash" development of a "civilian" space station based on Almaz. What would become the Salyut space station program aimed to run in parallel with the lunar exploration and to pave the way to the construction of large permanent settlements in the Earth's orbit. 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. Building the first Salyut 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. Soyuz-11 crew lost at landing 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. DOS-7K No. 2: A failed Salyut 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. First expedition on Salyut-4 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. Cosmonauts escape a close call at launch On April 5, 1975, the second crew heading to Salyut-4 went through a near-death experience when their rocket failed just short of orbital velocity, triggering dangerous fall back to Earth and a risky recovery operation in the mountainous terrain near the hostile border with China. Second expedition to Salyut-4 The two-month trip of the Soyuz-18 crew to a space station in 1975, which broke a Soviet flight-duration record, is also widely credited with setting standards and procedures for progressively longer stays of Soviet cosmonauts aboard Earth-orbiting outposts for years to come. Apollo-Soyuz project, ASTP In July 1975, the Soyuz-19 spacecraft with two cosmonauts onboard and the US Apollo vehicle with three NASA astronauts conducted a successful rendevous in the orbit around the Earth, becoming a symbol of a short-lived detente period in the Cold War. The USSR repeats the Soyuz 7K-S flight test ( INSIDER CONTENT ) On Sept. 29, 1975, the second experimental version of the Soyuz spacecraft, later known as Soyuz T, secretly entered orbit without a crew. The mission was announced under the cover name Kosmos-772, but its details remain largely unknown until this day. Soviet and Russian space station launches: Official name D esignation Developer Launch date Crews onboard Deorbited Notes Salyut-1 DOS-7K No. 1 (17K No. 12101 TsKBEM April 19, 1971 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 DOS-3 ( IC ) 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 DOS-4 ( IC ) 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   2001 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 DOS-7K No. 1 April 19, 1971 Soyuz-10 7K-T No. 31 April 23, 1971 April 24, 1971 Vladimir Shatalov Aleksei Yeliseyev Nikolai Rukavishnikov Docked to Salyut-1 on April 24. Failed to transfer into the station Soyuz-11 7K-T No. 32 June 6, 1971 June 30, 1971 Georgy Dobrovolskiy Vladislav Volkov Viktor Patsaev 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 Oleg Makarov 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 Valentin Lebedev 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 Yuri Artyukhin 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 Lev Demin 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 Nikolai Rukavishnikov Solo test flight preparing the Apollo-Soyuz joint mission Salyut-4 DOS-7K No. 4 ( IC ) Dec. 26, 1974   Soyuz-17 7K-T No. 38 Jan. 11, 1975 Feb. 9, 1975 Aleksei Gubarev Georgy Grechko Docked to Salyut-4 from Jan. 12 to Feb. 9, 1975 Soyuz-18-1 7K-T No. 39 April 5, 1975 Vasily Lazarev Oleg Makarov Suborbital flight due to third stage failure Soyuz-18 7K-T No. 40 May 24, 1975 July 26, 1975 Petr Klimuk Vitaly Sevastyanov Docked to Salyut-4 from May 26 to July 26. Soyuz-19 7K-TM No. 75 July 15, 1975 July 21, 1975 Aleksei Leonov Valery Kubasov Docked with Apollo July 17-19. Kosmos-772 ( Insider Content ) 7K-S No. 2L Sept. 29, 1975 Oct. 2, 1975 7K-S/ST (Soyuz T) test flight Soyuz-20 7K-T No. 64 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 Vitaly Zholobov Docked to Salyut-5 from July 7 to August 24. Soyuz-22 7K-T Sept. 15, 1976 Sept. 23, 1976 Valery Bykovsky Vladimir Aksenov Solo remote-sensing flight at 64.7-degree orbit Soyuz-23 7K-T Oct. 14, 1976 Oct. 16, 1976 Vyacheslav Zudov Valery Rozhdestvensky 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 Yury Glazkov Docked to Salyut-5 from Feb. 8 to Feb. 25 Kosmos-929 TKS 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 Valery Ryumin Failed to dock to Salyut-6 Soyuz-26 7K-T Dec. 10, 1977 Jan. 16, 1978 Yury Romanenko Georgy Grechko (landed on Soyuz-27) Docked to Salyut-6 from Dec. 11 to Jan. 16. Soyuz-27 7K-T Jan. 10, 1978 March 16, 1978 Vladimir Dzhanibekov Oleg Makarov (landed on Soyuz-26) 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 Vladimir Remek 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 Aleksandr Ivanchekov (landed on Soyuz 31) Docked to Salyut-6 from June 16 to Sept 3. Soyuz-30 7K-T June 27, 1978 July 5, 1978 Peter Klimuk Miroslaw Hermaszewski 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 Sigmund Jähn (landed on Soyuz 29) 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 Valery Ryumin (landed on Soyuz 34) 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, Georgy Ivanov (Kakalov) 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, Valery Ryumin (landed on Soyuz 37) 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 Bertalan Farkas (landed on Soyuz 35) 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 Vladimir Aksenov 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 Pham Tuan (landed on Soyuz 36) 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 Arnaldo Tomayo Mendes 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 Oleg Makarov Gennady Strekalov 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, Viktor Savinukh Docked to Salyut-6 from March 13 to May 26. Soyuz-39 7K-T March 22, 1981 March 30, 1981 Vladimir Dzhanibekov Zhugderdemidiyn Gurragchaa Docked to Salyut-6 from March 23 to March 30. Kosmos-1267 TKS 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, Dumitru Prunariu 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, Valentin Lebedev (returned on Soyuz T-7) 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, Aleksandr Ivanchenkov, Jan Lou Chrétien 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, Aleksand Serebrov, Svetlana Savitskaya (landed on Soyuz T-5) 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 TKS 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, Aleksandr Serebrov, Gennady Strekalov Failed to dock to Salyut-7. Soyuz T-9 7K-ST June 27, 1983 Nov. 23, 1983 Vladimir Lyakhov, Aleksandr Aleksandrov 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, Gennady Strekalov 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, Vladimir Soloviev, Oleg Atkov 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, Gennady Strekalov, Rakesh Sharma (landed on Soyuz T-10) 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, Svetlana Savitskaya, Igor Volk 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, Viktor Savinykh (landed on Soyuz T-14) 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, Georgy Grechko, (landed on Soyuz T-13) A. Volkov Docked to Salyut-7 from Sept. 18 to Nov. 21 Kosmos-1686 TKS 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: November 17, 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