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1973 in spaceflight

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1973 in spaceflight
Orbital launches
First8 January
Last29 December

1973 saw the launch of the first American Space station known as Skylab on a Saturn V rocket.

Launches

[edit]
Date and time (UTC) Rocket Flight number Launch site LSP
Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat) 		Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks

January

[edit]
8 January
06:55 		Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 81
Soviet Union Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 MOM Selenocentric Lunar rover 15 January 1973 (At Moon) Successful
11 January
10:00 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Kosmos 543 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 24 January 1973 Successful
20 January
03:36 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 544 (Tselina-O) MO SSSR Low Earth ELINT 15 June 1980 Successful
24 January
11:44 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 545 (DS-P1-Yu) MO SSSR Low Earth Radar calibration 31 July 1973 Successful
26 January
11:44 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Kapustin Yar Site 107
Soviet Union Kosmos 546 (Zaliv mockup) MO SSSR Low Earth Boilerplate In orbit Successful

February

[edit]
1 February
08:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet UnionKosmos 547 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 13 February 1973 Successful
3 February
05:48 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Molniya 1-23 MOM Molniya Communication 23 October 1977 Successful
8 February
13:15 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 548 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 21 February 1973 Successful
15 February
01:11 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6
Soviet Union Prognoz-3 MOM Molniya Solar flare detection 31 December 1976 Successful
26 February
04:37 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 549 (Tselina-O) MO SSSR Low Earth ELINT 29 June 1980 Successful

March

[edit]
1 March
12:40 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 550 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 11 March 1973 Successful
6 March
09:20 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Kosmos 551 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 20 March 1973 Successful
6 March
09:30 		United States Atlas SLV-3A Agena-D United States Cape Canaveral SLC-13
United States Rhyolite 2 US Air Force Geosynchronous ELINT In orbit Successful
9 March
21:00 		United States Titan IIID United States Vandenberg SLC-4E
United States KH-9 NRO / CIA Low Earth Reconnaissance 17 March 1973 Successful
20 March
11:20 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M (R-7 8A92M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Meteor 1-14 MOM Low Earth Weather In orbit Successful
22 March
10:00 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 552 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 3 April 1973 Successful
Soviet Union Nauka MOM Low Earth Technology 9 April 1973 Successful

April

[edit]
3 April
09:00 		Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 81
Soviet Union Salyut 2 (Almaz) MOM Low Earth Space Station 28 May 1973 Spacecraft failure
Depressurised before crew launch could occur
5 April
11:11 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Molniya 2-5 MOM Molniya Communications 6 January 1979 Successful
6 April
02:11 		United States Atlas SLV-3D Centaur United States Cape Canaveral SLC-36B
United States Pioneer 11 (Pioneer G) NASA Heliocentric to Solar escape Planetary probe In orbit Successful
First spacecraft to visit Saturn
Maiden flight of Atlas SLV-3D Centaur rocket.
12 April
11:49 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 553 (DS-P1-Yu) MO SSSR Low Earth Radar calibration 11 November 1973 Successful
19 April
08:59 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 554 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 7 May 1973 Successful
Destroyed in orbit after deactivation
19 April
10:19 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Kapustin Yar Site 86
Soviet UnionPoland Interkosmos 9 (Kopernik 500) Interkosmos Low Earth Solar radiation detection In orbit Successful
20 April
23:47 		United States Delta 1914 United States Cape Canaveral SLC-17B
United States Anik A2 Telesat Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Successful
25 April Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 90
Soviet Union US-A MO SSSR Intended: Low Earth Ocean surveillance 25 April 1973 Failure
Engine failure
25 April
10:45 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 555 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 7 May 1973 Successful
Soviet Union Nauka MOM Low Earth Scientific research 9 May 1973 Successful

May

[edit]
5 May
07:00 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 556 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 14 May 1973 Successful
11 May
00:20 		Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 81
Soviet Union Kosmos 557 (Salyut / Zarya) MOM Low Earth Space Station 22 May 1973 Failure
Loss of control in orbit
14 May
17:30 		United States Saturn V United States Kennedy LC-39A NASA
United States Skylab NASA Low Earth Space Station 11 July 1979 Successful
First American Space Station
Last flight of the Saturn V rocket
Damaged during launch, but repaired
16 May
16:40 		United States Titan IIIB (24B) United States Vandenberg SLC-4W
United States OPS 2093 (KH-8) NRO / US Air Force Low Earth Reconnaissance 13 June 1973 Successful
17 May
13:19 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 558 (DS-P1-Yu) MOM Low Earth Radar calibration 22 December 1973 Successful
18 May
11:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 559 (Zenit-4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 23 May 1973 Successful
Maiden flight of Soyuz-U carrier rocket
21 May
08:47 		France Diamant-B France Kourou SEREB
France Castor CNES Intended:Low Earth Technology 21 May 1973 Failure
France Pollux CNES Intended:Low Earth Technology    
Final flight of Diamant-B
Fairing failed to separate
23 May
10:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 560 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 5 June 1973 Successful
24 May
02:00[2] 		Soviet Union K63D Soviet Union Vladimirovka test range, near Kapustin Yar
Soviet Union BOR-3 No.301 Suborbital Re-entry test for Spiral program 22 May Failure
Subscale model of the Spiral spaceplane.[1] Payload fairing failed at about 5 km altitude. Apogee: 20 km
25 May Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Zaliv (Tsiklon) RVSN Intended: Low Earth Navigation 25 May 1973 Failure
Failed to reach orbit
25 May
13:00 		United States Saturn IB United States Kennedy LC-39B NASA
United States Apollo CSM-116 (Skylab 2) NASA Low Earth, docked to Skylab Crewed orbital flight 22 June 1973 Successful
Crewed flight with 3 astronauts, first crewed flight to Skylab
25 May
13:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 561 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 6 June 1973 Successful
Soviet Union Nauka MOM Low Earth Gamma ray telescope 20 June 1973 Successful
29 May
10:16 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M (R-7 8A92M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Meteor 1-15 MOM Low Earth Weather In orbit Successful

June

[edit]
5 June
11:26 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 562 (DS-P1-Yu) MOM Low Earth 7 January 1974 Successful
6 June
11:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 563 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 18 June 1973 Successful
8 June
15:50 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 564 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 565 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 566 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 567 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 568 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 569 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 570 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 571 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communications In orbit Successful
10 June
10:10 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Kosmos 572 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 23 June 1973 Successful
10 June
14:13 		United States Delta 1913 United States Cape Canaveral SLC-17B
United States Explorer 49 (RAE) NASA Selenocentric Astronomy In orbit Successful
12 June
07:14 		United States Titan IIIC United States Cape Canaveral SLC-40
United States DSP F-4 (IMEWS 4) US Air Force Geosynchronous Missile early warning In orbit Successful
15 June
06:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz (R-7 11A511) Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5
Soviet Union Kosmos 573 (Soyuz 7K-T) MOM Low Earth Test spacecraft 17 June 1973
06:01		 Successful
20 June
06:16 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 574 (Zaliv/Tsiklon) MO SSSR Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
21 June
13:29 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 575 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 3 July 1973 Successful
26 June
01:22 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Tselina-O RVSN Intended: Low Earth SIGINT Never left ground Failure
Exploded on pad after fuelling error; 9 killed
26 June
17:00 		United States Titan IIIB (24B) United States Vandenberg SLC-4W
United States OPS 4018 (KH-8) US Air Force Intended: Low Earth Reconnaissance 26 June 1973 Failure
Agena upper stage malfunction; Failed to reach orbit
27 June
11:50 		Soviet Union Soyuz-M (R-7 11A511M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 576 (Zenit-4MT / Orion) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 9 July 1973 Successful

July

[edit]
4 July Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43
Soviet Union (Zenit 4M) MOM Intended: Low Earth Reconnaissance 4 July 1973 Failure
11 July
09:58 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Molniya 2-6 MOM Molniya Communication 5 August 1978 Successful
13 July
20:24 		United States Titan IIID United States Vandenberg SLC-4E
United States OPS 8261 (KH-9) NRO / CIA Low Earth Reconnaissance 12 October 1973 Successful
16 July
17:10 		United States Delta 0300 United States Vandenberg SLC-2W
United States ITOS E NASA / NOAA Intended: Low Earth Weather 16 July 1973 Failure
Second stage malfunction
21 July
19:30 		Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 81
Soviet Union Mars 4 MOM Intended: Areocentric
Actual: Heliocentric 		Mars orbiter In orbit Failure
Retro-rockets failed, did not enter Martian orbit
25 July
11:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 577 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 7 August 1973 Successful
25 July
18:55 		Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 81
Soviet Union Mars 5 MOM Areocentric Mars orbiter In orbit Partial Failure
Computer malfunction a few days after entering Martian orbit
28 July
11:10 		United States Saturn IB United States Kennedy LC-39B NASA
United States Apollo CSM-117 (Skylab 3) NASA Low Earth, docked to Skylab Crewed orbital flight 25 September 1973 Partial Failure
Crewed flight with 3 astronauts. Thruster malfunction, nearly required rescue mission

August

[edit]
1 August
14:00 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 578 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 13 August 1973 Successful
5 August
17:45 		Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 81
Soviet Union Mars 6 MOM Heliocentric Mars lander 12 March 1974 Failure
Disappeared shortly before landing
8 August
17:00 		Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 81
Soviet Union Mars 7 MOM Heliocentric Mars lander In orbit Failure
Missed planet due to premature separation
17 August
04:49 		United States Thor-LV2F Burner-2A United States Vandenberg SLC-10W
United States DMSP 5B F-4 US Air Force Low Earth Weather In orbit Successful
21 August
12:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 579 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 3 September 1973 Successful
21 August
16:07 		United States Titan IIIB (33B) United States Vandenberg SLC-4W
United States OPS 7724 (Jumpseat 3) NRO / US Air Force Molniya SIGINT In orbit Successful
22 August
11:24 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 580 (DS-P1-Yu) MO SSSR Low Earth 1 April 1974 Successful
23 August
22:57 		United States Atlas SLV-3D Centaur United States Cape Canaveral LC-36A
United States Intelsat IV F7 Intelsat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Successful
24 August
10:59 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Kosmos 581 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 6 September 1973 Successful
28 August
10:08 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 582 (Tselina-O) MO SSSR Low Earth ELINT 5 September 1980 Successful
30 August
00:07 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Molniya 1-24 MOM Molniya Communication 5 December 1979 Successful
30 August
10:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Kosmos 583 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 12 September 1973 Successful

September

[edit]
6 September
10:40 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 584 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 20 September 1973 Successful
8 September
01:50 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 585 (Sfera) MO SSSR Low Earth In orbit Successful
14 September
00:31 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 586 (Tsiklon) MO SSSR Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
18 September China Feng Bao 1 China Jiuquan LA-2B
China JSSW Intended: Low Earth Unknown 18 September Failure
First orbital launch of Feng Bao 1.
21 September
13:05 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 587 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 4 October 1973 Successful
27 September
12:18 		Soviet Union Soyuz (R-7 11A511) Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5
Soviet Union Soyuz 12, 2 Cosmonauts MOM Low Earth Crewed orbital flight 29 September 1973 Successful
Return-to-flight after Soyuz 11 incident
27 September
17:15 		United States Titan IIIB (24B) United States Vandenberg SLC-4W
United States OPS 6275 (KH-8) Low Earth Reconnaissance 29 October 1973 Successful

October

[edit]
2 October
21:46 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 588 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 589 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 590 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 591 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 592 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 593 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 594 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 595 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
3 October
13:00 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 596 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 9 October 1973 Failure
Soviet Union Nauka RVSN Low Earth Magnetosphere 9 October 1973 Successful
Parachute failed to deploy during recovery
6 October
12:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 597 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 12 October 1973 Successful
10 October
10:45 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 598 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 16 October 1973 Successful
15 October
08:45 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Kosmos 599 (Zenit 2M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 28 October 1973 Successful
16 October
12:00 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 600 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 23 October 1973 Successful
16 October
14:00 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 601 (DS-P1-Yu) MO SSSR Low Earth 15 August 1984 Successful
19 October
10:26 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Molniya 2-7 MOM Molniya Communication 8 July 1983 Successful
20 October
10:14 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 602 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 29 October 1973 Successful
26 October
02:26 		United States Delta 1913 United States Cape Canaveral SLC-17B
United States Explorer 50 (IMP) NASA High Earth Magnetosphere In orbit Successful
27 October
11:09 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 603 (Zenit 4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 9 November 1973 Successful
29 October
14:00 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M (R-7 8A92M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 604 (Tselina) MOM Low Earth SIGINT 19 January 1992 Successful
30 October
00:37 		United States Scout A-1 United States Vandenberg SLC-5 Vought
United States Transit-O 20 US Navy Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
Final flight of Scout A rocket
30 October
19:00 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Interkosmos 10 (DS-U2-IK) Interkosmos Low Earth Geophysics 1 July 1977 Successful
31 October
18:24 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43
Soviet Union Kosmos 605 (Bion 1) MOM Low Earth Biology 22 November 1973 Successful

November

[edit]
2 November
13:01 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41
Soviet Union Kosmos 606 (Oko) MOM Molniya Missile Early Warning In orbit Successful
3 November
05:45 		United States Atlas SLV-3D Centaur United States Cape Canaveral SLC-36B
United States Mariner 10 NASA Heliocentric Planetary probe 24 March 1975 Successful
Flybys of Venus and Mercury
First spacecraft to visit Mercury
6 November
17:02 		United States Delta 0300 United States Vandenberg SLC-2W NASA
United States NOAA 3 (ITOS-F) NASA / NOAA Low Earth Weather In orbit Successful
Final flight of Delta 0100 series
10 November
12:38 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 607 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 22 November 1973 Successful
10 November
20:09 		United States Titan IIID United States Vandenberg SLC-4E
United States OPS 6630 (KH-9) NRO / CIA Low Earth Reconnaissance 13 March 1974 Successful
United States OPS 7705 (SSF) NRO / US Air Force Low Earth SIGINT 26 December 1978 Successful
United States OPS 6630 P/L 2 (SSF) NRO / US Air Force Low Earth SIGINT In orbit Successful
14 November
20:40 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Molniya 1-25 MOM Molniya Communication 26 May 1979 Successful
16 November
14:01 		United States Saturn IB United States Kennedy LC-39B NASA
United States Apollo CSM-118 (Skylab 4) NASA Low Earth, docked to Skylab Crewed orbital flight 8 February 1974 Successful
Crewed flight with 3 astronauts. Final flight of Skylab programme
20 November
12:29 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 608 (DS-P1-Yu) MO SSSR Low Earth Radar calibration 10 July 1974 Successful
21 November
10:00 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Baikonur
Soviet Union Kosmos 609 (Zenit-4M) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 4 December 1973 Successful
27 November
00:08 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 610 (Tselina-O) MO SSSR Low Earth SIGINT / ELINT 15 September 1980 Successful
28 November
09:29 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 611 (DS-P1-Yu) MO SSSR Low Earth Radar calibration 19 June 1974 Successful
28 November
11:43 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 612 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 11 December 1973 Successful
30 November
05:20 		Soviet Union Soyuz (R-7 11A511) Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5
Soviet Union Kosmos 613 (Soyuz 7K-T) MOM Low Earth Test spacecraft 29 January 1974
05:29		 Successful
30 November
13:08 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Molniya 1-26 MOM Molniya Communication 9 June 1985 Successful

December

[edit]
4 December
15:00 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 614 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
13 December
11:10 		Soviet Union Kosmos-2I (R-12 11K63) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133
Soviet Union Kosmos 615 (DS-P1-I) MO SSSR Low Earth 17 December 1975 Successful
13 December
23:57 		United States Titan IIIC United States Cape Canaveral SLC-40
United States DSCS II F-3 US Air Force Geosynchronous Communication 1 August 1982 Successful
United States DSCS II F-4 US Air Force Geosynchronous Communication 20 December 1993 Successful
16 December
06:18 		United States Delta 1900 United States Vandenberg SLC-2W NASA
United States Explorer 51 (AE-C) NASA Low Earth / Medium Earth Atmospheric 12 December 1978 Successful
17 December
12:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-M (R-7 11A511M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 616 (Zenit 4MT) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 28 December 1973 Successful
18 December
11:55 		Soviet Union Soyuz (R-7 11A511) Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5
Soviet Union Soyuz 13, 2 Cosmonauts MOM Low Earth Crewed orbital flight 26 December 1973 Successful
Orion 2 Astrophysics / Astronomy
19 December
09:43 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 617 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 618 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 619 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 620 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 621 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 622 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 623 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 624 (Strela) MO SSSR Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
21 December
12:30 		Soviet Union Voskhod (R-7 11A57) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Kosmos 625 (Zenit 4MK) MOM Low Earth Reconnaissance 3 January 1974 Successful
25 December
11:17 		Soviet Union Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) Soviet Union Plesetsk
Soviet Union Molniya 2-8 MOM Molniya Communication 24 November 1985 Successful
26 December
16:30 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet UnionFrance Aureole 2 (DS-U2-GKA) MO SSSR / CNES Low Earth Auroral research 30 April 1974 Successful
27 December
20:19 		Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 90
Soviet Union Kosmos 626 (US-A / RORSAT) MO SSSR Low Earth Ocean Reconnaissance 22 March 1974 Successful
29 December
04:12 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M (R-14 11K65M) Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132
Soviet Union Kosmos 627 (Zaliv) MO SSSR Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful

Deep Space Rendezvous

[edit]
Date (GMT) Spacecraft Event Remarks
15 January Luna 21 Delivered Lunokhod 2 between Mare Serenitatis and the Taurus Mountains
15 June Explorer 49 Entered Selenocentric orbit Radio telescope
3 December Pioneer 10 Flyby of Jupiter Closest approach: 130,354 kilometres (80,998 mi)

EVAs

[edit]
Start Date/Time Duration End Time Spacecraft Crew Remarks
26 May
00:40 		40 minutes 01:20 CM-116
SLM-1 		United StatesPaul J. Weitz Using a 10-foot (3.0 m) long tool, Weitz stood in the open hatch of the Command Module (as Joe Kerwin held onto his legs) and tried to remove a strap preventing the release of a solar panel on Skylab.[3]
7 June
15:15 		3 hours
25 minutes 		18:40 Skylab
SLM-1 		United StatesPete Conrad
United StatesJoseph P. Kerwin 		Used long-handled cable cutters to remove debris that prevented the solar array system from deploying and then forced the solar array system to deploy, providing the Skylab with electrical power needed to operate.
19 June
10:55 		1 hour
36 minutes 		12:31 Skylab
SLM-1 		United StatesPete Conrad
United StatesPaul J. Weitz 		Replaced exposed film cassettes with fresh film and repaired an electrical contact.
6 August
17:30 		6 hours
31 minutes 		7 August
00:01 		Skylab
SLM-2 		United StatesOwen K. Garriott
United StatesJack R. Lousma 		Erected a twin-pole solar shield to improve temperature control in Skylab, replaced film cassettes in the solar observatory and installed micrometeoroid detection panels.
24 August
16:24 		4 hours
31 minutes 		20:55 Skylab
SLM-2 		United StatesOwen K. Garriott
United StatesJack R. Lousma 		Installed a new gyroscope selection box, and replaced the film in the solar observatory.
22 September
11:18 		2 hours
41 minutes 		13:59 Skylab
SLM-2 		United StatesOwen K. Garriott
United StatesAlan Bean 		Replaced the film on the solar observatory and collected the Thermal Coatings Experiment Panel for return to Earth.[4]
22 November
17:42 		6 hours
33 minutes 		23 November
00:15 		Skylab
SLM-3 		United StatesEdward Gibson
United StatesWilliam R. Pogue 		Replaced the film on the solar observatory and repaired the antenna for the Earth resources experiment package.
25 December
16:00 		7 hours
1 minute 		23:01 Skylab
SLM-3 		United StatesGerald P. Carr
United StatesWilliam R. Pogue 		Used the extreme ultraviolet electronographic camera and the coronagraph contamination camera to photograph Comet Kohoutek. They also replaced the film on the solar observatory.
29 December
17:00 		3 hours
29 minutes 		20:29 Skylab
SLM-3 		United StatesGerald P. Carr
United StatesEdward Gibson 		Photographed Comet Kohoutek as it appeared from behind the Sun and recovered the Thermal Control Coatings Experiment panel.

References

[edit]
  • Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com".
  • Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
  • Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.[dead link‍]
  • Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches".
  • Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Report". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  • McDowell, Jonathan. "GCAT Orbital Launch Log".
  • Pietrobon, Steven. "Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive".
  • Wade, Mark. "Encyclopedia Astronautica".
  • Webb, Brian. "Southwest Space Archive".
  • Zak, Anatoly. "Russian Space Web".
  • "ISS Calendar". Spaceflight 101.
  • "NSSDCA Master Catalog". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
  • "Space Calendar". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[dead link‍]
  • "Space Information Center". JAXA.[dead link‍]
  • "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
Generic references:

Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "BOR-3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. ^ Wade, Mark. "K63D". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  3. ^ Belew, Leland F. (1977). "Skylab, Our First Space Station" (PDF). NASA. p. 61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  4. ^ Ledbetter, James (1974). "Skylab Crew Systems Mission Evaluation" (PDF). NASA. pp. 301, p.338. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2009.


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