Soyuz

Flight Details 1

Soyuz 1

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 04/23/67
• Flight Time: 001d 02h 48m
• Number of Orbits: 0018 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Vladimir M. Komarov

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: Komarov became the first Russian to make a second trip into space. The main purpose of this 1-day flight was to test out the new Soyuz spacecraft. The reentry process of Soyuz 1 appears to have gone completely normal through the routine communications blackout period. However, in the last few miles of descent, the parachute became twisted in its lines and the spacecraft was destroyed in a hard impact. Komarov was killed instantly on impact. It was ironic that both the United States and the Soviet Union suffered their first mission-related fatalities within a few months of each other.

Soyuz 3

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 10/26/68
• Flight Time: 003d 22h 51m
• Number of Orbits: 0064 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Georgi T. Beregovoy

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: It was not until 18 months after the Soyuz 1 crash that the Soviets sent another man into space. During the flight, Beregovoy made several manually-controlled rendezvouses with the previously-launch unmanned Soyuz 2. However, no docking was made between the two spacecraft. In addition to parachutes, a gunpowder rocket was fired in the last seconds before touchdown as a final brake to soften the impact with the ground. This procedure became standard on all future Soyuz flights.

Soyuz 4

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 01/14/69
• Flight Time: 002d 23h 21m
• Number of Orbits: 0048 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Vladimir A. Shatalov

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: Soyuz 4 lifted off in the middle of the Russian winter. One day later, it was followed into space by Soyuz 5. The two spacecraft docked, and two Soyuz 5 crew members performed space walks to transfer to Soyuz 4. The Soyuz 4 spacecraft returned to Earth, after almost 3 days in space, with its own commander plus the two crewmen who transferred over from Soyuz 5.

Soyuz 5

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 01/15/69
• Flight Time: 003d 00h 54m
• Number of Orbits: 0049 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Boris V. Volynov
• Alexei S. Yeliseyev
• Yevgeny V. Khrunov

EVA's:

• 00h 37m - space walk

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: After following Soyuz 4 into orbit by one day, Soyuz 5 docked with Soyuz 4. Yeliseyev and Khrunov donned spacesuits and took a 1/2-hour space walk over to the Soyuz 4 spacecraft. Krunov made the transition while over South America, and Yeliseyev made the transition while over the Soviet Union. The space suits were equipped with self-contained life-support units. Volynov returned to Earth in Soyuz 5, while his two crewmates returned aboard Soyuz 4. After the flights, the Soviets proclaimed the docked Soyuz spacecraft to be the world's first space station.

Soyuz 6

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 10/11/69
• Flight Time: 004d 22h 43m
• Number of Orbits: 0080 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Georgi S. Shonin
• Valeri N. Kubasov

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: The major accomplishment of this mission was work done to test alternate methods of doing welding in the high vacuum and weightless conditions of space. Earth resources experiments were also conducted, and the spacecraft participated in a group rendezvous with Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8. Soyuz 6, however, was not equipped with a docking module.

Soyuz 7

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 10/12/69
• Flight Time: 004d 22h 40m
• Number of Orbits: 0080 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Anatoli V. Filipchenko
• Vladislav N. Volkov
• Viktor V. Gorbatko

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: Soyuz 7 carried docking equipment and was meant to be a passive docking target for Soyuz 8. However, although both ships came close together, a docking was never actually achieved. Earth resource experiments occupied the crew for most of the flight.

Soyuz 8

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 10/13/69
• Flight Time: 004d 22h 51m
• Number of Orbits: 0080 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Vladimir A. Shatalov
• Alexei S. Yeliseyev

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: Soyuz 8 was intended to be the active ship in docking maneuvers with Soyuz 7. However, such dockings were not accomplished, although Soyuz 6, 7, and 8 did rendezvous and perform group flight maneuvers for 2 days.

Soyuz 9

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 6/2/70
• Flight Time: 017d 06h 59m
• Number of Orbits: 0286 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Andrian G. Nikolayev
• Vitali I. Sevastianov

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: The primary purpose of this flight was to investigate the effects of long-duration space flight on the crew. It represented the longest Soviet space mission to date. Other experiments conducted on board involved Earth resources and astro-navigation.

Soyuz 10

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 4/23/71
• Flight Time: 001d 23h 46m
• Number of Orbits: 0032 orbits

Cosmonaut Crew:

• Vladimir A. Shatalov
• Alexei S. Yeliseyev
• Nikolai N. Rukavishnikov

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: The objective of this mission was to conduct a mission aboard the Salyut 1 space station (launched 4/19/71). However, although the crew was able to dock with Salyut, they did not enter the station. The Soyuz 10 spacecraft may have experienced some type of problem, requiring an early return to Earth.

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003