Soyuz 14
First successful Soviet space station mission.
Soyuz 14 was a July 1974 crewed spaceflight to the Salyut 3 space station, part of the Soviet Union's Almaz program. It was the first successful Soviet mission to a space station and marked the start of a Soviet monopoly on crewed space activities until 1981, aside from the joint Apollo–Soyuz flight.
Quick Facts
- Operator
- Soviet space program
- Orbits completed
- 255
- Spacecraft
- Soyuz 7K-T No.3
- Manufacturer
- OKB-1
- Launch mass
- 6,570 kg / 14,484 lb
- Landing mass
- 1,200 kg / 2,646 lb
- Launched
- 3 July 1974, 18:51:08 UTC
- Launch rocket
- Soyuz 11A511
Facts from the source article.
Mission highlights
Soyuz 14 launched nine days after Salyut 3, on 3 July 1974, and docked the next day with a manual approach for the final 100 metres. The crew evaluated the station as a crewed military reconnaissance platform and tested Almaz systems including solar arrays. Despite increased solar activity, radiation levels were deemed safe. The Soviets described experiments on heart and circulatory systems, intracranial pressure, blood composition, lung capacity, and a water purification system, but analysts believed unreported military activities occupied much of the time. Aerospace press claimed objects were laid out at Baikonur to test a high-resolution camera. The cosmonauts exercised two hours daily and left supplies for at least six months.
More in Crewed Soyuz Missions
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