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The Soviet Union planned severalmilitarySoyuz spacecraft models. These versions were namedSoyuz P,Soyuz PPK,Soyuz R,Soyuz 7K-VI, andSoyuz OIS (Orbital Research Station). However, none of thespacecraft ever flew in space.[1][2]
TheSoyuz P (Perekhvatchik, Interceptor) space interceptor and Soyuz R (Razvedki, intelligence) command-reconnaissance spacecraft was proposed in December 1962 bySergei Korolev. In the initial draft project, the Soyuz P would use theSoyuz 9K rocket stage andSoyuz 11K tanker spacecraft to conduct a series of dockings and re-fueling operations. The complete complex would then conduct intercepts of enemy satellites in orbits up to 6,000 km in altitude. Soyuz P was cancelled in 1963.[3]
The Soyuz-R system (1963-1966) consisted of two separately launched spacecraft, including the smallorbital station 11F71 with photo-reconnaissance and electronic intelligence equipment and aSoyuz 7K-TK for crew transport. Soyuz R was cancelled in 1966.[4]
Initially the Soyuz P was designed for piloted inspection and destruction of enemy satellites. It was intended that the Soyuz wouldrendezvous with the target satellite. To minimize risk to the crew, a new version, Soyuz PPK (pilotiruemovo korablya-perekhvatchika, crewed interceptor spacecraft) was later proposed in 1964.[5]
The Zvezda (star) station was based on a radically modified Soyuz begun in October 1965.Dmitri Kozlov was the chief engineer of the Soyuz VI project, he also worked on Soyuz-P and Soyuz-R. Soyuz 7K-VI objectives were crew earth observation, orbital inspection and destruction of enemysatellites. Zvezda would be powered by twoplutoniumradioisotope thermoelectric generators, assolar arrays required the spacecraft to be position to the sun, not a desired attack mode. Also the military experiments need more power than solar provided. Soyuz 7K-VI had arecoilless gun for defense. It was designed for shooting in a vacuum and defending the military research spacecraft from enemy satellite inspector and interceptor satellites. The gun was aimed by maneuvering the entire spacecraft. A special gunsight was installed in the descent module for aiming the gun. A forward docking apparatus to allow docking withAlmaz was also included. Work on Zvezda was cancelled in 1967 with a single prototype in advanced stages of construction. Cosmonaut training for the VI began in September 1966. The cosmonaut group selected included commanderPavel Popovich, pilotAlexei Gubarev, flight-engineersYuri Artyukhin,Vladimir Gulyaev,Boris Nikolaevich Belousov, andGennadiy Kolesnikov.Popovich-Kolesnikov andGubarev-Belousov were the prime crews, with the other engineers acting as reserves and then assigned to later crews.[6][7]
The Soyuz OIS (Orbital Research Station) would consist of a separately-launched orbital block 11F731 OB-VI and a transport Soyuz 7K-S.
The Soyuz OB-VI would be launched for 30-day missions in a 51.6° orbit at 250 x 270 km. Power was provided bysolar panels, and the payload included 700 to 1,000 kg of instrumentation. The total mass would be around 6,500 kg (14,300 lb).[8]
The initial Soyuz 7K-S program was to consist of four uncrewed, followed by two crewed test flights, then two operational launches. Cosmonauts were assigned to the project in 1973.[6]
In 1975, the project was cancelled. At that time thelaunch escape system for 7K-S was ready and was used forApollo-Soyuz Test Project flights. Three complete vehicles were launched as uncrewed test missions:
| Mission | Crew | Launch | Landing | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kosmos 670 | None | 6 Aug 1974, 00:02 | 8 Aug 1974, 23:59 | 2 days, 23 hours and 57 minutes | [6] |
| Kosmos 772 | None | 29 Sept 1975, 04:15 | 3 Oct 1975, 04:10 | 3 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes | [6] |
| Kosmos 869 | None | 29 Nov 1976, 16:00 | 17 Dec 1976, 10:31 | 17 days, 18 hours and 31 minutes | [6] |
The Soyuz 7K-ST transport project was develop in parallel to the military 7K-S and was redesigned for a crew of three, eventually becoming theSoyuz-T used with theSalyut space stations.[9]
The list below shows proposed,flown (in bold) andmilitary (in italic) Soyuz versions.
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| Past missions (by spacecraft type) |
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Uncrewed missions are designated asKosmos instead ofSoyuz; exceptions are noted "(uncrewed)". The † sign designates failed missions.Italics designates cancelled missions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||