Facts about Salyut First Generation
- 09
Cosmonauts aboard the first-generation Salyut stations conducted extensive Earth observation, using optical instruments to photograph terrain features for both scientific and military reconnaissance purposes.
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Salyut 1 featured a three-compartment design with a transfer airlock that enabled cosmonauts to conduct spacewalks, establishing the first extravehicular activity capability for a space station.
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Salyut 1's propulsion system used a restartable main engine that could perform orbital maneuvers, marking the first time a space station had independent maneuvering capability beyond simple attitude control.
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Salyut 1 weighed approximately 18.9 tons at launch, making the first-generation space station substantially heavier than contemporary Apollo spacecraft capsules.
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During its 175-day mission, Salyut 1 completed approximately 2,897 orbits around Earth before being deorbited in October 1971.
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Salyut 1 required 7 tons of supplies and equipment to be transported by three crewed Soyuz spacecraft during its operational lifetime in 1971.
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Salyut 1's orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees allowed Soviet cosmonauts to conduct experiments on materials processing and biological research in the first crewed space station.
- 02
Soyuz 11 docked with Salyut 1 in June 1971, carrying cosmonauts Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, and Oleg Patsayev, who conducted the first crewed operations aboard a space station.
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The first Salyut space station launched on April 19, 1971, and operated for 175 days before being deliberately deorbited over the Pacific Ocean.