Soyuz-T should not be confused with Soyuz 7K-T.
| Soyuz-T | |
| Manufacturer: | Korolev |
| Country: | USSR |
| Applications: | Carry three cosmonauts to Salyut and Mir space stations and back |
| Orbits: | Low Earth orbit |
| Derivedfrom: | Soyuz 7K-TM Soyuz 7K-T Soyuz 7K-S |
| Derivatives: | Soyuz-TM |
| Status: | Out of service |
| Launched: | 18 |
| First: | 4 April 1978 Kosmos 1001 |
| Last: | 16 March 1986 Soyuz T-15 |
The Soyuz-T (Russian: Союз-T, Union-T) spacecraft was the third generation Soyuz spacecraft, in service for seven years from 1979 to 1986. The T stood for transport (Russian: транспортный, Russian: Transportny). The revised spacecraft incorporated lessons learned from the Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Soyuz 7K-TM and Military Soyuz.
The Soyuz-T was a major upgrade over previous Soyuz spacecraft, sporting solid-state electronics for the first time and a much more advanced onboard computer to help overcome the chronic docking problems that affected cosmonauts during space station missions. In addition, solar panels returned, allowing the Soyuz-T to fly up to 11 days independently as well as a redesigned propulsion system, the KTDU-426. Finally, it could carry three cosmonauts with pressure suits.
See main article: List of Soviet human spaceflight missions. Between 1979 and 1986, a total of 18 Soyuz T spacecraft were launched into LEO, 13 of which carried cosmonauts to and from the space stations Salyut 6, Salyut 7, and Mir.
| Mission | Crew | Launch | Landing | Duration | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | 4 Apr 1978 | 15 Apr 1978 | ||||
| None | 31 Jan 1979 | 1 Apr 1979 | Last Soyuz spacecraft with a Kosmos designation | |||
| None | 16 Dec 1979 | 25 Mar 1980 | Uncrewed test flight to Salyut 6 | |||
| 5 Jun 1980 | 9 Jun 1980 | Crewed test flight | ||||
| 27 Nov 1980 | 10 Dec 1980 | First Soyuz mission with a three cosmonaut crew since the fatal flight of Soyuz 11 | ||||
| 12 Mar 1981 | 26 May 1981 | |||||
| 13 May 1982 | 27 Aug 1982 | Both Berezovoy and Lebedev returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-7 after 211 days in space | ||||
| 24 Jun 1982 | 2 Jul 1982 | Chrétien becomes the first French citizen in space | ||||
| 19 Aug 1982 | 10 Dec 1982 | Savitskaya becomes the second woman in space after Valentina Tereshkova in 1963. All cosmonauts returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-5 after 8 days in space | ||||
| 20 Apr 1983 | 22 Apr 1983 | Failed to reach Salyut 7 after its Igla docking system was damaged during launch | ||||
| 27 Jun 1983 | 23 Nov 1983 | |||||
| 26 Sept 1983 | Failed to reach Salyut 7 after its carrier rocket caught fire and exploded, thus activating its launch escape system | |||||
| 8 Feb 1984 | 11 Apr 1984 | All cosmonauts returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-11 after 237 days in space | ||||
| 3 Apr 1984 | 2 Oct 1984 | Sharma becomes first Indian citizen in space. All cosmonauts returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-10 after 8 days in space | ||||
| 17 Jul 1984 | 29 Jul 1984 | |||||
| 6 Jun 1985 | 26 Sept 1985 | Repaired the crippled station during their stay. Savinykh returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-14 after 168 days in space | ||||
| 17 Sept 1985 | 21 Nov 1985 | Grechko returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-13 after 9 days in space. Mission ended prematurely after Vasyutin fell ill aboard the station | ||||
| 13 Mar 1986 | 16 Jul 1986 | Visited both Salyut 7 and Mir, the only crewed spaceflight to visit two space stations simultaneously | ||||