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Article Number: 11F732. Manufacturer's Designation: 7K-ST. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft. Destination: Space Station Orbit. Nation: Russia. Agency: MOM. Manufacturer: Korolev. Soyuz T had a long gestation, beginning as the Soyuz VI military orbital complex Soyuz in 1967. It finally emerged as a complete redesign of the Soyuz in the late seventies. The Soyuz T introduced a revised Igla rendezvous system and a new service module with unitary translation / attitude control thrusters as part of a single bipropellant system with the main pump-fed engine. Solar panels were reintroduced; the fuel load was increased; and all new digital avionics were developed. Crew safety was improved with a new launch escape system and accommodation was provided for the first time for a three-man crew in spacesuits. The USSR Defense Ministry issued a requirement for an "Orbital Research Station" (OIS) in March 1967 (reaffirmed in the decree of May 1968). This small station was to operate at an inclination of 51.6 degrees, an altitude of 250-270km, and have a flight duration of 30 days. Kozlov's Kuibyshev Branch of the former OKB-1 delivered a proposal for a Soyuz VI (7K-VI) complex in November 1967. (Not to be confused with the quite different Soyuz VI developed by Kozlov in the 1965-1967 period).
The new Soyuz was called by the OKB the 7K-S, and given the article number 11F732 by the military. The Soyuz-VI (abbreviation for military research) complex would consist of the OIS (with 700 to 1,000 kg of scientific equipment) and the Soyuz 7K-S. The Soyuz would have a crew if two, a probe-drogue docking system and an internal transfer tunnel.
The draft design for the OIS was released on 21 June 1968, followed by that for the 7K-S on 14 October 1968. Drawing release began in 1969. The OIS was cancelled in February 1970 after the start of the Salyut project. The Soyuz 7K-S, however continued in two parallel designs - the base variant, which was for special-purpose solo missions; and a space station transport variant 7K-ST. The revised designs for the 7K-S were completed on 11 August 1972.
The initial Soyuz 7K-S program was to consist of four unmanned, followed by two manned test flights, then two operational launches. Cosmonauts (among them Lyakhov and Voronov ) were assigned to the project in 1973. A State Commission was formed on 21 June 1974 to oversee the flight tests.
The draft design for 7K-ST space station transport version was completed in August 1974.
After the fourth N1 launch failure, a major reorganization of Soviet space enterprises was undertaken. Mishin was fired as head of the former OKB-1. After Kozlov turned down the job, Glushko was made head of a newly formed NPO Energia, combining OKB-1 and Glushko's Energomash engine production OKB. The 7K-S was cancelled; experiments planned for the 7K-S solo flights were transferred to the Salyut program.
Development of the launch escape system for 7K-S had run from 1968 to 1972. The new design was used for Soyuz Apollo-Soyuz Test Project version.
At the time the Soyuz 7K-S was cancelled, one of the uncrewed test vehicles was already at Tyuratam being prepared for launch. The first three were launched unmanned as technology tests - Cosmos 670 (7K-S No.1), Cosmos 772 (7K-S No.2), and Cosmos 869 (7K-S No.3).
The Soyuz 7K-ST transport project continued, except now being redesigned for a crew of three. The revised design for the new version was issued in 1975; and the first Soyuz T flew in 1978 as Cosmos 1001. The basic Soyuz T was adapted in the TM version for use with the Mir space station, and it would continue in use into the 21st Century as the Assured Crew Rescue Vehicle for the International Space Station. Crew Size: 3. Design Life: 14 days. Orbital Storage: 180 days. Typical orbit: 227 km circular orbit, 51.6 deg inclination. Length: 7.48 m (24.54 ft). Maximum Diameter: 2.72 m (8.92 ft). Span: 10.60 m (34.70 ft). Habitable Volume: 9.00 m3. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Main Engine: KDU-426. Main Engine Thrust: 3.920 kN (881 lbf). Main Engine Propellants: N2O4/UDMH. Main Engine Propellants: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Main Engine Isp: 305 sec. Spacecraft delta v: 320 m/s (1,040 ft/sec). Electrical System: Solar panels, span 10.60 m, area 10.00 sq. m. Electric System: 0.60 average kW. Associated Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U, Soyuz 11A511U2. - Soyuz T BO. Other Designations: Bytovoy otsek. Part of: Soyuz T. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft Module. Purpose: Living section.
Lightweight male/female docking system with flange-type probe, internal transfer tunnel (Collar Length: 0.22 m. Probe Length: 0.50 m. Base Diameter: 1.35 m. Ring Diameter: 1.35 m). Igla automatic rendezvous and docking system with lightweight antennae, lightweight tower. One window, BO separated before retrofire. Length: 2.98 m (9.77 ft). Basic Diameter: 2.26 m (7.41 ft). Maximum Diameter: 2.26 m (7.41 ft). Habitable Volume: 5.00 m3. Mass: 1,100 kg (2,400 lb).
- Soyuz T SA. Other Designations: Spuskaemiy apparat. Part of: Soyuz T. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft Module. Purpose: Reentry capsule.
Significantly improved Soyuz re-entry capsule, based on development done in Soyuz 7K-S program. Accommodation for crew of three in spacesuits. Digital computer operates spacecraft. In-line periscope, covers on portholes that jettison after re-entry, enlarged touchdown rockets, improved parachute, high-rate telemetry system. Crew Size: 3. Length: 2.24 m (7.34 ft). Basic Diameter: 2.17 m (7.11 ft). Maximum Diameter: 2.17 m (7.11 ft). Habitable Volume: 4.00 m3. Mass: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 6 X 98 N. RCS Propellants: H2O2. Expr24: 40.
- Soyuz T PAO. Other Designations: Priborno-agregatniy otsek. Part of: Soyuz T. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft Module. Purpose: Equipment-engine section.
Improved PAO service module derived from Soyuz 7K-S with pressure-fed main engines and unitary RCS/main engine propellant feed system. Length: 2.26 m (7.41 ft). Basic Diameter: 2.15 m (7.05 ft). Maximum Diameter: 2.72 m (8.92 ft). Mass: 2,750 kg (6,060 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 16 X 98 N. RCS Fine No x Thrust: 8 X 98 N. RCS Coarse Backup No x Thrust: No separate backup translation engines. RCS Propellants: N2O4/UDMH. Main Engine: KDU-426. Main Engine: 270 kg (590 lb). Main Engine Thrust: 3.089 kN (694 lbf). Main Engine Propellants: N2O4/UDMH. Main Engine Propellants: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Main Engine Isp: 292 sec. Electrical System: Solar panels, span 10.60 m, area 10.00 sq. m. Electric System: 0.60 average kW.
Soyuz T Chronology - 1974 July 1 - Soyuz 7K-S cancelled; Soyuz 7K-ST continued -
The 7K-S was cancelled at the same time as the N1 and the reorganisation of the space industry. Experiments planned for the solo flights were transferred to the Salyut program. The first test vehicle was already at Baikonur being prepared for launch. It was decided to launch the first three unmanned as technology tests - Cosmos 670 (7K-S No.1), Cosmos 772 (7K-S No.2), and Cosmos 869 (7K-S No.3). The Soyuz 7K-ST transport project continued, except now being redesigned for a crew of three. The 7K-ST would eventually fly as the Soyuz T and Soyuz TM ferry to the Salyut 7 and Mir space stations.
- 1978 April 4 - Cosmos 1001 - Program: Salyut 6. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 199 km (123 mi). Apogee: 228 km (141 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 88.70 min. Duration: 10.87 days.
Manned precursor. Recovered April 15, 1978 12:02 GMT. Unsuccessful mission. Soyuz T test -failure.
Maneuver Summary:
202 km X 231 km orbit to 195 km X 291 km orbit. Delta V: 19 m/s
195 km X 291 km orbit to 306 km X 322 km orbit. Delta V: 40 m/s
306 km X 322 km orbit to 308 km X 318 km orbit. Delta V: 1 m/s
Total Delta V: 60 m/s.
Officially: Investigation of the upper atmosphere and outer space.
- 1979 December 16 - Soyuz T-1 - Program: Salyut 6. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 213 km (132 mi). Apogee: 252 km (156 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 89.20 min. Duration: 100.38 days.
New generation Soyuz capsule; unmanned flight to Salyut 6. Docked with Salyut 6. Recovered March 25, 1980 21:47 GMT. Unmanned test of Soyuz T design.
Officially: Complex experimental testing of new on-board systems and assemblies under various flight conditions and operation in conjunction with the Salyut-6 orbital station.
- 1979 January 31 - Cosmos 1074 - Program: Salyut 6. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 195 km (121 mi). Apogee: 238 km (147 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 88.80 min. Duration: 60.04 days.
Manned precursor. Recovered April 1, 1979 10:09 GMT. Soyuz T Test.
Maneuver Summary:
197 km X 240 km orbit to 255 km X 297 km orbit. Delta V: 33 m/s
255 km X 297 km orbit to 264 km X 306 km orbit. Delta V: 4 m/s
264 km X 306 km orbit to 309 km X 321 km orbit. Delta V: 17 m/s
309 km X 321 km orbit to 279 km X 357 km orbit. Delta V: 18 m/s
279 km X 357 km orbit to 352 km X 402 km orbit. Delta V: 32 m/s
352 km X 402 km orbit to 363 km X 384 km orbit. Delta V: 8 m/s
Total Delta V: 112 m/s
Officially: Investigation of the upper atmosphere and outer space.
- 1980 November 27 - Soyuz T-3 - Program: Salyut 6. Crew: Kizim, Makarov, Strekalov. Flight: Salyut 6 EO-5. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 256 km (159 mi). Apogee: 260 km (160 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 89.70 min. Duration: 12.80 days.
Manned three crew. Docked with Salyut 6. Tested the improved transport ship of the 'SOYUZ T' series; transported to the Salyut-6 orbital station a crew consisting of L D Kizim, O G Makarov and G M Strekalov to carry out repair and preventive work and scientific and technical investigation and experiments.
- 1982 June 24 - Soyuz T-6 - Program: Salyut 7. Crew: Chretien, Dzhanibekov, Ivanchenkov. Flight: Salyut 7 EP-1, Salyut 7 EO-1. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 189 km (117 mi). Apogee: 233 km (144 mi). Inclination: 51.70 deg. Period: 88.70 min. Duration: 7.91 days.
Manned three crew. Docked with Salyut 7. Transported to the Salyut-7 orbital station the Soviet-French international crew, comprising V A Dzhanibekov (USSR), A S Ivanchenkov (USSR) and Jean-Loup Chretien (France) to conduct scientific research and experiments.
- 1983 June 27 - Soyuz T-9 - Program: Salyut 7. Crew: Aleksandrov, Lyakhov. Flight: Salyut 7 EO-2. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 197 km (122 mi). Apogee: 228 km (141 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 88.80 min. Duration: 149.45 days.
Manned two crew. Docked with Salyut 7. Transported to the Salyut-7 orbital station a crew consisting of V A Lyakhov, commander of the spacecraft, and A P Aleksandrov, flight engineer, to conduct scientific and technical research and experiments.
- 1984 April 3 - Soyuz T-11 - Program: Salyut 7. Crew: Malyshev, Sharma, Strekalov. Flight: Salyut 7 EP-3, Salyut 7 EO-3. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 195 km (121 mi). Apogee: 224 km (139 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 88.70 min. Duration: 181.91 days.
Manned three crew. Docked with Salyut 7.Transported a Soviet-Indian international crew comprising ship's commander Y V Malyshev, flight engineer G M Strekalov (USSR) and cosmonaut-researcher R Sharma (India) to the SALYUT-7 orbital station to conduct scientific and technical studies and experiments.
- 1985 September 17 - Soyuz T-14 - Program: Salyut 7. Crew: Grechko, Vasyutin, Volkov Aleksandr. Flight: Salyut 7 EO-4-2, Salyut 7 EP-5, Salyut 7 EO-4-1a, Salyut 7 EO-4-1b. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U2. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Perigee: 196 km (121 mi). Apogee: 223 km (138 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 88.70 min. Duration: 64.91 days.
Docked with Salyut 7. Transported a crew comprising ship's commander V V Vasyutin, flight engineer G M Grechko and cosmonaut-researcher A A Volkov to the Salyut-7 orbital station to conduct scientific and technical studies and experiments. Grechko returned in Soyuz T-13 on 25 September 1985 - emergency return.
- 1986 March 13 - Soyuz T-15 - Program: Mir. Crew: Kizim, Solovyov Vladimir. Flight: Mir EO-1. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U2. Mass: 7,020 kg (15,470 lb). Perigee: 331 km (205 mi). Apogee: 366 km (227 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.50 min. Duration: 125.00 days.
Mir Main Expedition EO-01. Epic repair mission. The crew, consisting of ship's commander L D Kizim and flight engineer V A Solovyov first docked with the Mir orbital station to conduct scientific and technical studies and experiments. Mir then maneuvered 17 April to match Salyut 7's orbit at 4000 km separation, then again on 4 May to catch up. After six weeks aboard Mir, Soyuz T-15 undocked on 5 May, then rendezvoused and manually docked with the inoperative Salyut 7 station. This was the only flight in history by a single spacecraft between two space stations. The Salyut-7 station was found to be ice bound and without electrical power. The crew repaired the station, regaining power, heat, and environmental control. The also removed experimental results left behind by last crew. Soyuz T-15 undocked Salyut 7 on 25 June, and redocked with Mir on 26 June, delivering 400 kg of scientific material from Salyut 7, including a multichannel spectrometer. Following further work aboard Mir, the crew landed on July 16, 1986 at 12:34 GMT. No crew ever revisited Salyut 7; it made an uncontrolled reentry over Argentina.
- 1986 September 15 - Soyuz T-15C (cancelled) - Program: Salyut 7. Crew: Dobrokvashina, Ivanova, Savitskaya. Flight: Soyuz T-15C. Mass: 7,150 kg (15,760 lb).
Cancelled all-female flight to be launched on International Woman's Day, to have docked with Mir or Salyut 7. Breakdown of Salyut 7, exhaustion of stock of Soyuz T spacecraft, and official resistance led to cancellation of the mission. Officially cancelled due to birth of Savitskaya's baby. No female cosmonauts would be in training again until a decade later.
Bibliography and Further Reading - Zhelyeznakov, "Personal communication.", .
- Clark, Philip, The Soviet Manned Space Program, Salamander Books, London, 1988. ISBN: 051756954X. By far the best account of the Soviet manned program, though now out of date due to the flood of revelations since Glasnost and the end of the cold war. More at amazon.com...
- Semenov, Yuri P Editor, Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya 'Energia' imeni S P Koroleva, Moscow, Russia, 1996. Russian in-house history of the Energia Corporation and its predecessors. Unprecedented detail, photographs, designations, and drawings, on the products of Korolev's OKB.
- McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
- Furniss, Tim, Manned Spaceflight Log, Jane's, London, 1986. ISBN: 0710604025. Summary of all manned spaceflights up to 1986. Pre-Glasnost, so many 'war stories' of Soviet manned spaceflight are not included. More at amazon.com...
- Isakowitz, Steven J,, International Reference to Space Launch Systems Second Edition, AIAA, Washington DC, 1991 (succeeded by 2000 edition). ISBN: 1563473534. Superseded by the later editions. More at amazon.com...
- Semenov, Yu. P., S P Korolev Space Corporation Energia, RKK Energia, 1994. ISBN: 1896522815. Dual English/Russian language picture book of the history of the Energia Corporation. Many unique photos and drawings of Korolev's rockets and spacecraft. Republished by Apogee books in 2000. More at amazon.com...
- Cassutt, Michael, Who's Who in Space, Macmillan, New York, 1993. ISBN: 0028649656. Marvelous book with complete biographies of all flown and unflown cosmonauts and astronauts. What they did before and after their tours of duty, explanation of selection groups, much more.. More at amazon.com...
- Lantratov, K., Novosti Kosmonavtiki, "'Zvezda' Dmitriya Kozlova", 1997, Issues 3 to 6 (four part article).
- Oberg, James, Red Star in Orbit, Random House, New York, 1981. ISBN: 0394514297. Oberg's book was, at its time, the most accurate, and still the most lively account of the Soviet manned program. More at amazon.com...
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