Salyut 5
Salyut 5 was launched on
June 22,
1976 from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Proton 8K82K rocket. It was the third and last
Almaz military
space station, included in the
Salyut program to conceal its true purpose. Its launch and subsequent mission were both completed successfully. The
Soyuz 21 cosmonauts worked in the station from July 7 - August 24, 1976.
Soyuz 23 attempted to dock on October 15, but was unable to enter the station. The
Soyuz 24 crew worked in the station from February 8 - 25, 1977.
Structurally similar to Salyut 3, it had a total mass of approximately 18-19 tons. It had two solar panels laterally mounted on the center of the station, and a detachable recovery module for the return of research data and materials. Its research module was ejected on Feburary 26, 1977, and recovered. Salyut 5 reentered on August 8, 1977 after fuel reserves were depleted and the planned Soyuz 25 mission was no longer possible.
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