The
Salyut program was the first
space stationA space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. To date, only low earth orbital stations have been implemented, otherwise known as orbital stations...
program undertaken by the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, which consisted of a series of nine single-module space stations launched over a period of eleven years from 1971 to 1982. Intended as a project to carry out long-term research into the problems of living in space and a variety of astronomical, biological and Earth-resources experiments, the program allowed space station technology to evolve from the engineering development stage to long-term research outposts in space. Ultimately, experience gained from the Salyut stations went on to pave the way for multimodular space stations such as
MirMir was a Soviet space station. Mir was the world's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space, and the first of the third generation type of space station, constructed from 1986 to 1996 with a modular design...
and the
International Space StationThe International Space Station is an internationally developed research facility currently being assembled in Low Earth Orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled to be completed by 2011, with operations continuing until at least 2015...
, with each of those stations possessing a Salyut-derived core module at its heart.
The program consisted of a series of six scientific research stations and three military reconnaissance stations, the latter being launched as part of the highly secretive
AlmazThe Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
program. Salyut broke several
spaceflight recordsThis is a list of spaceflight records. Most of these records relate to human spaceflights, but some unmanned and canine records are included.-Longest human single flight:...
, including several mission duration records, the first ever orbital handover of a space station from one crew to another, and various spacewalk records. By the time the program concluded, in 1991, it had seen space station technology evolve from basic, single-docking port stations to complex, multi-ported orbital outposts with impressive scientific capabilities, whose technological legacy continues to the present day.
Stations
The program was composed of
DOS (Orbital Space Station) civilian stations and
OPS (Orbital Piloted Station) military stations. All were adapted from
Vladimir ChelomeiVladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey was a Soviet mechanics scientist and rocket engineer.-Early life:Chelomey was born in Siedlce, Russian Empire into a Ukrainian family...
's original
Almaz OPS spaceframe.
For the military
Orbital Piloted Stations modifications were small, and related to the rear docking port for
Soyuz spacecraftSoyuz ; English: Union) is a series of spacecraft designed for the Soviet space program by the Korolyov Design Bureau. The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraft and was originally built as part of the Soviet Manned Lunar program...
.
For the civilian DOS Orbital Space Station
changes were great, with extra solar panels, rear and front docking ports for Soyuz spacecraftSoyuz ; English: Union) is a series of spacecraft designed for the Soviet space program by the Korolyov Design Bureau. The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraft and was originally built as part of the Soviet Manned Lunar program...
, TKS spacecraftTKS spacecraft was designed by Vladimir Chelomei as a manned spacecraft launched with Proton rocket alternative to the Soyuz spacecraft to supply the military Almaz space station. Development began in 1965, but by the time the first flight articles were ready the Almaz programme had been abandoned...
and modules.
Salyut 1
Salyut 1 (DOS-1) was launched April 19, 1971. It was the first space station to orbit Earth. Its first crew launched in
Soyuz 10Soyuz 10 was a 1971 Soviet manned mission to the world's first space station, Salyut 1. However, the docking was not successful and the crew returned to Earth without having entered the station.-Mission Highlights:...
but were unable to board it due to a failure in the docking mechanism; its second crew launched in
Soyuz 11Soyuz 11 was the first successful visit to the world's first space station, Salyut 1. However the mission ended in disaster when the crew capsule depressurised during preparations for re-entry, killing the three-man crew. This accident resulted in the only cosmonaut deaths to occur in space...
and remained on board for 23 productive days. A pressure-equalization valve in the Soyuz 11 reentry capsule opened prematurely when the crew returned to Earth, killing all three. Salyut 1 reentered Earth's atmosphere October 11, 1971.
DOS-2
DOS-2
was launched on July 29, 1972. It was similar in design to Salyut 1. The second stage of its Proton rocket failed, which meant that it never reached orbit. It crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
Salyut 2
Salyut 2 (OPS-1) was launched April 4, 1973. It was not really a part of the same program as the other Salyut stations, instead being the highly classified prototype military space station
AlmazThe Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
. It was given the designation Salyut 2 to conceal its true nature. Despite its successful launch, within two days the as-yet-unmanned Salyut 2 began losing pressure and its flight control failed; the cause of the failure was likely due to shrapnel piercing the station when the discarded Proton rocket upper stage that had placed it in orbit later exploded nearby. On April 11, 1973, 11 days after launch, an unexplainable accident caused four solar panels to be torn loose from the space station cutting off all power to the space station. Salyut 2 re-entered on May 28, 1973.
Cosmos 557
The Salyut space station that Almaz had substituted for, designated DOS-3
, was launched on May 11, 1973, three days before the launch of SkylabSkylab was the United States' first space station, and the second space station visited by a human crew. It was also the only space station NASA launched alone...
. Due to errors in the flight control system while out of the range of ground control, the station fired its orbit-correction engines until it consumed all of its fuel. Since the spacecraft was already in orbit and had been registered by Western radar, the Soviets disguised the launch as "
Cosmos 557The Salyut space station that Almaz had substituted for, designated DOS 3, was launched on May 11, 1973, three days before the launch of Skylab. Due to errors in the flight control system while out of the range of ground control, the station fired its orbit-correction engines until it consumed all...
"
and quietly allowed it to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up a week later. It was revealed to have been a Salyut station only much later.
Salyut 3
Salyut 3 (OPS-2) was launched on June 25, 1974. It was another Almaz military space station, this one launched successfully. It tested a wide variety of reconnaissance sensors, returning a canister of film for analysis. On January 24, 1975 trials of the on-board 23 mm Nudelman aircraft cannon (other sources say it was a Nudelman NR-30 30 mm gun) were conducted with positive results at ranges from 3000 m to 500 m. Cosmonauts have confirmed that a target satellite was destroyed in the test. The next day, the station was ordered to deorbit. Only one of the three intended crews successfully boarded and manned the station, brought by
Soyuz 14Soyuz 14 was a 1974 manned space flight, part of the Soviet Union's Almaz program to evaluate the military applications of human spaceflight. The spacecraft took cosmonauts Yuri Artyukhin and Pavel Popovich to the Salyut 3 space station. At the time, the military nature of this mission and the...
;
Soyuz 15Soyuz 15 was a 1974 manned space flight which was to have been the second mission to the Soviet Union's Salyut 3 space station with presumably military objectives....
attempted to bring a second crew but failed to dock. Nevertheless, it was an overall success. The station's orbit decayed, and it re-entered the atmosphere on January 24, 1975.
Salyut 4
Salyut 4 (DOS-4) was launched on December 26, 1974. It was essentially a copy of the DOS-3, and unlike its ill-fated sibling it was a complete success. Two crews made stays aboard Salyut 4 (
Soyuz 17Soyuz 17 was the first of two long-duration missions to the Soviet Union's Salyut 4 space station in 1975. The flight set a Soviet mission-duration record of 29 days, surpassing the 23-day record set by the ill-fated Soyuz 11 crew aboard Salyut 1 in 1971.-Crew:-Backup crew:-Reserve crew:-Mission...
and
Soyuz 18Soyuz 18 was a 1975 Soviet manned mission to Salyut 4, the second and final crew to man the space station. Pyotr Klimuk and Vitali Sevastyanov set a new Soviet space endurance record of 63 days and the mark for most people in space simultaneously was tied during the mission.-Crew:-Backup...
), including one of 63 days duration, and an unmanned Soyuz capsule (
Soyuz 20Soyuz 20 was an unmanned spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union. It was a long-duration test of the Soyuz spacecraft that docked with the Salyut 4 space station. Soyuz 20 performed comprehensive checking of improved on-board systems of the spacecraft under various flight conditions. It also...
) remained docked to the station for three months, proving the systems' long-term durability. Salyut 4 was deorbited February 2, 1977, and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on February 3.
Salyut 5
Salyut 5 (OPS-3) ' onMouseout='HidePop("32229")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/English_language">English
English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
translation Salute 5) was launched on June 22, 1976. It was the third and last Almaz military space station. Its launch and subsequent mission were both completed successfully, with three crews launching and two (
Soyuz 21Soyuz 21 was a 1976 Soviet manned mission to the Salyut 5 space station, the first of three flights to the station. The mission's objectives were mainly military in scope, but included other scientific work. The mission ended abruptly with cosmonauts Boris Volynov and Vitali Zholobov returning to...
and
Soyuz 24Soyuz 24 was a 1977 Soviet mission to the Salyut 5 space station, the third and final mission to the station, the last purely military crew for the Soviets and the final mission to a military Salyut...
) successfully boarding the craft for lengthy stays (the second crew on
Soyuz 23Soyuz 23 was a 1976 Soviet manned space flight, the second to the Salyut 5 space station. Cosmonauts Vyacheslav Zudov and Valeri Rozhdestvenski arrived at the station to perform a program with presumed military objectives, but an equipment malfunction did not allow docking and the mission had to...
was unable to dock and had to abort). Salyut 5 reentered on August 8, 1977. Following Salyut 5 the Soviet Military decided that the tactical advantages were not worth the expense of the program and withdrew. The focus for the later missions was research and prestige.
Salyut 6
Salyut 6 (DOS-5) was launched on September 29, 1977. Although it resembled the previous Salyut stations in overall design, it featured several revolutionary advances including a second docking port where an unmanned
Progress cargo spacecraftThe Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer. It was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is...
could dock and refuel the station. From 1977 until 1982 Salyut 6 was visited by five long-duration crews and 11 short-term crews, including cosmonauts from
Warsaw PactThe Warsaw Pact is the informal name for the mutual defense Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance subscribed by eight Communist states in Eastern Europe, that was established at the USSR’s initiative and realised on 14 May 1955, in Warsaw, Poland...
countries. Some unconfirmed reports say the station was functionally capable of even more missions and years, but combating the ever-increasing mold in living quarters was becoming impossible, and in practice caused the retirement decision. The very first long-duration crew on Salyut 6 broke a record set on board
SkylabSkylab was the United States' first space station, and the second space station visited by a human crew. It was also the only space station NASA launched alone...
, staying 96 days in orbit. The longest flight on board Salyut 6 lasted 185 days. The fourth Salyut 6 expedition deployed a 10-meter radio-telescope antenna delivered by a cargo ship. After Salyut 6 manned operations were discontinued in 1981, a heavy unmanned spacecraft called
TKSTKS spacecraft was designed by Vladimir Chelomei as a manned spacecraft launched with Proton rocket alternative to the Soyuz spacecraft to supply the military Almaz space station. Development began in 1965, but by the time the first flight articles were ready the Almaz programme had been abandoned...
and developed using hardware left from the canceled Almaz program was docked to the station as a hardware test. Salyut 6 was deorbited July 29, 1982.
Salyut 7
Salyut 7 (DOS-6) was launched on April 19, 1982. It was the back-up vehicle for Salyut 6 and very similar in equipment and capabilities, though several more advanced features were included. It was aloft for four years and two months, during which time it was visited by 10 crews constituting 6 main expeditions and 4 secondary flights (including French and Indian cosmonauts). Aside from the many experiments and observations made on Salyut 7, the station also tested the docking and use of large modules with an orbiting space station. The modules were called "Heavy Cosmos modules." They helped engineers develop technology necessary to build
MirMir was a Soviet space station. Mir was the world's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space, and the first of the third generation type of space station, constructed from 1986 to 1996 with a modular design...
. Salyut 7 deorbited on February 7, 1991.
DOS-7
It was planned that two other stations (DOS-7
and DOS-8
) would follow. These would be equipped with a total of four docking ports; two at either end of the station and an additional two ports on either side of docking sphere at the front of the station. DOS-7
continued to be developed, becoming the Mir Core ModuleThe Mir Core Module was the first component of the Mir space station. It was launched on February 20, 1986 on a Proton rocket from LC-200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.- Specifications :* Length: 13.13 m* Diameter: 4.15 m...
, featuring better computers and solar arrays, accommodations for two cosmonauts each having their own cabin and six docking ports.
DOS-8
DOS-8 evolved into the
Mir-2Mir-2 was a space station project begun in February 1976. Some of the modules built for Mir-2 have been incorporated into the International Space Station .- Project history :...
project, intended to replace the
MirMir was a Soviet space station. Mir was the world's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space, and the first of the third generation type of space station, constructed from 1986 to 1996 with a modular design...
space station. Finally, it became the
International Space StationThe International Space Station is an internationally developed research facility currently being assembled in Low Earth Orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled to be completed by 2011, with operations continuing until at least 2015...
Zvezda Service ModuleZvezda , DOS-8, also known as the Zvezda Service Module, is a component of the International Space Station . It was the third module launched to the station, and provides some of the station's life support systems, as well as living quarters for two crew members...
.
Data table
Space
Station |
Launched |
Reentered |
Days in
orbit |
Days
occupied |
Total crew
and visitors |
Visiting
manned
spacecraft |
Visiting
unmanned
spacecraft |
Mass
kg |
Salyut 1Salyut 1 was the first space station of any kind, launched on April 19, 1971.- Mission :Its first crew launched in Soyuz 10 but was unable to board it due to a failure in the docking mechanism; its second crew launched in Soyuz 11 and remained on board for 23 productive days...
|
April 19, 1971
01:40:00 UTC |
October 11, 1971
00:00:00 UTC |
175 |
24 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
18,500 |
| DOS-2 DOS 2 was the name used to refer to a Salyut module. Launch by a Proton rocket was attempted July 29, 1972, but a second stage failure prevented the intended space station from reaching orbit. Instead it fell into the Pacific Ocean....
|
July 29, 1972 |
July 29, 1972 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
18,000 |
| Salyut 2 Salyut 2 was launched April 4, 1973. It was not really a part of the same program as the other Salyut space stations, instead being the highly classified prototype military space station Almaz. It was given the designation Salyut 2 to conceal its true nature...
|
April 4, 1973
09:00:00 UTC |
May 28, 1973
00:00:00 UTC |
54 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
18,500 |
| Cosmos 557 The Salyut space station that Almaz had substituted for, designated DOS 3, was launched on May 11, 1973, three days before the launch of Skylab. Due to errors in the flight control system while out of the range of ground control, the station fired its orbit-correction engines until it consumed all...
|
May 11, 1973
00:20:00 UTC |
May 22, 1973
00:00:00 UTC |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
19,400 |
| Salyut 3 Salyut 3 was launched on June 25, 1974. It was the second Almaz military space station, this one launched successfully, included in the Salyut program to disguise its true purpose....
|
June 25, 1974
22:38:00 UTC |
January 24, 1975
00:00:00 UTC |
213 |
15 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
18,500 |
| Salyut 4 Salyut 4 was a Salyut space station launched on December 26, 1974 into an orbit with an apogee of 355 km, a perigee of 343 km and an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees. It was essentially a copy of the DOS 3, and unlike its ill-fated sibling it was a complete success...
|
December 26, 1974
04:15:00 UTC |
February 3, 1977
00:00:00 UTC |
770 |
92 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
18,500 |
| Salyut 5 Salyut 5 was launched on June 22, 1976 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Proton 8K82K rocket. It was the third and last Almaz military space station, included in the Salyut program to conceal its true purpose. Structurally similar to Salyut 3, it had a total mass of approximately 18-19 tons...
|
June 22, 1976
18:04:00 UTC |
August 8, 1977
00:00:00 UTC |
412 |
67 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
19,000 |
Salyut 6Salyut 6 was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth flown as part of the Salyut programme. Launched on September 29, 1977 by a Proton rocket, the station was the first of the 'second-generation' type of space station. Salyut 6 possessed several revolutionary advances over the earlier Soviet...
|
September 29, 1977
06:50:00 UTC |
July 29, 1982
00:00:00 UTC |
1,764 |
683 |
33 |
16 |
14 |
19,824 |
Salyut 7Salyut 7 was the final space station launched into Low Earth orbit as part of the Soviet Union's Salyut Program. Launched on April 19, 1982, on a Proton rocket from Site 200/40 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the USSR, Salyut 7 was part of the transition from "monolithic" to "modular" space...
|
April 19, 1982
19:45:00 UTC |
February 7, 1991
00:00:00 UTC |
3,216 |
816 |
26 |
12 |
15 |
18,900 |
See also
- Almaz
The Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
- Mir
Mir was a Soviet space station. Mir was the world's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space, and the first of the third generation type of space station, constructed from 1986 to 1996 with a modular design...
- Proton (rocket) launch vehicle
- Skylab
Skylab was the United States' first space station, and the second space station visited by a human crew. It was also the only space station NASA launched alone...
- International Space Station
The International Space Station is an internationally developed research facility currently being assembled in Low Earth Orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled to be completed by 2011, with operations continuing until at least 2015...
- Space station
A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. To date, only low earth orbital stations have been implemented, otherwise known as orbital stations...
for statistics of occupied space stations
External links