18 Facts About Salyut programme

Salyut programme was the first space station programme, undertaken by the Soviet Union.

In one respect, Salyut had the task of carrying out long-term research into the problems of living in space and a variety of astronomical, biological and Earth-resources experiments, and on the other hand the USSR used this civilian programme as a cover for the highly secretive military Almaz stations, which flew under the Salyut designation.

Salyut programme flights broke several spaceflight records, including several mission-duration records, and achieved the first orbital handover of a space station from one crew to another, and various spacewalk records.

The ensuing Soyuz Salyut programme was vital for evolving space station technology from a basic, engineering development stage, from single docking port stations to complex, multi-ported, long-term orbital outposts with impressive scientific capabilities, whose technological legacy continues as of 2020.

The Salyut programme begun on 15 February 1970 on the condition that the crewed lunar programme would not suffer.

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The Salyut programme was managed by Kerim Kerimov, chairman of the state commission for Soyuz missions.

The Salyut programme program followed this with five more successful launches of seven more stations.

Salyut programme 1 was modified from one of the Almaz airframes, and was made out of five components: a transfer compartment, a main compartment, two auxiliary compartments, and the Orion 1 Space Observatory.

DOS-2 designation given to a space station, launched as part of the Salyut programme, which was lost in a launch failure on 29 July 1972, when the failure of the second stage of its Proton-K launch vehicle prevented the station from achieving orbit.

The station, which would have been given the designation Salyut programme 2 had it reached orbit, was structurally identical to Salyut programme 1, as it had been assembled as a backup unit for that station.

Salyut programme 3 was a Soviet space station launched on 25 June 1974.

Salyut programme 6 was the first space station to receive large numbers of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft for human habitation, crew transfer, international participation and resupply, establishing precedents for station life and operations which were enhanced on Mir and the International Space Station.

Salyut programme 6 was the first "second generation" space station, representing a major breakthrough in capabilities and operational success.

Salyut programme 6 was visited and resupplied by twelve uncrewed Progress spacecraft including Progress 1, the first instance of the series.

Additionally, Salyut programme 6 was visited by the first instances of the new Soyuz-T spacecraft.

Success of Salyut 6 contrasted with the programme's earlier failures and limited successes.

The early history of the Salyut programme was plagued by the fatalities of Soyuz 11 and three launched stations which quickly failed.

DOS-7 continued to be developed during Salyut programme 7, becoming the Mir Core Module of the Mir space station – the first modular space station, with crewed operations lasting from 1986 to 2000.