Soyuz 20

Soyuz 20 (Russian: Союз 20, Union 20) was an unmanned spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union. It was a long-duration test of the Soyuz spacecraft that docked with the Salyut 4 space station. Soyuz 20 performed comprehensive checking of improved on-board systems of the spacecraft under various flight conditions. It also carried a biological payload. Living organisms were exposed to three months in space.

Soyuz 20
Mission typeTest flight
OperatorSoviet space program
COSPAR ID1975-106A
SATCAT no.08430
Mission duration90 days 11 hours 47 minutes
Orbits completed1470
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz 7K-T No.8
Spacecraft typeSoyuz 7K-T/A9
ManufacturerNPO Energia
Launch mass6570 kg [1]
Landing mass2800 kg
Dimensions7.13 m long
2.72 m wide
Start of mission
Launch date17 November 1975,
14:36:37 UTC
RocketSoyuz-U
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 1/5 [2]
End of mission
Landing date16 February 1976, 02:24 UTC
Landing site56 km at the southwest of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit [3]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude199.7 km
Apogee altitude263.5 km
Inclination51.6°
Period88.8 minutes
Docking with Salyut 4
 

Crew

None.

Mission parameters

  • Mass: 6,570 kg (14,480 lb) [1]
  • Perigee: 199.7 km (124.1 mi)[3]
  • Apogee: 263.5 km (163.7 mi)
  • Inclination: 51.6°
  • Period: 88.8 minutes

Return

It was recovered on 16 February 1976 at 02:24 UTC.[1]

References

  1. "Display: Soyuz 20 1975-106A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "Baikonur LC1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  3. "Trajectory: Soyuz 20 1975-106A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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