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EntityQ2637056· pop 13· linked from 246 articles

The Soyuz-T () was the third generation of the Soyuz spacecraft and operated from 1979 to 1986. The T designation stood for "transport" (), reflecting its primary role ferrying crews to and from space stations. The design was based on the second-generation Soyuz 7K-T and incorporated experience gained from the Military Soyuz program and the Soyuz 7K-TM used for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project.

Key facts

Spacecraft class.image
Soyuz-T drawing.png
Spacecraft class.caption
Soyuz-T spacecraft
Spacecraft class.name
Soyuz-T
Spacecraft class.manufacturer
Korolev
Spacecraft class.country
USSR
Spacecraft class.applications
Carry three cosmonauts to Salyut and Mir space stations and back
Spacecraft class.operator
Soviet space program
Spacecraft class.orbits
Low Earth orbit
Spacecraft class.derivedfrom
Soyuz 7K-TMilitary SoyuzSoyuz 7K-TM
Spacecraft class.derivatives
Soyuz-TM
Spacecraft class.status
Out of service
Spacecraft class.launched
18
Spacecraft class.first
4 April 1978 (Kosmos 1001)
Spacecraft class.last
16 March 1986 (Soyuz T-15)

via Wikipedia infobox

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Missions
  • References
  • External links

The Soyuz-T () was the third generation of the Soyuz spacecraft and operated from 1979 to 1986. The T designation stood for "transport" (), reflecting its primary role ferrying crews to and from space stations. The design was based on the second-generation Soyuz 7K-T and incorporated experience gained from the Military Soyuz program and the Soyuz 7K-TM used for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project.

Soyuz-T introduced several major improvements over earlier models. It was the first Soyuz to use solid-state electronics and featured an upgraded onboard computer intended to reduce the docking difficulties encountered on previous missions. Solar panels returned to the design, enabling autonomous flight for up to 11 days, and the spacecraft adopted a new propulsion system, the KTDU-426. Unlike preceding versions, Soyuz-T could carry three cosmonauts wearing pressure suits.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Soyuz-T” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.