Igla (spacecraft docking system)

The IGLA - approach system (Russian Игла "needle" ) was a Soviet telemetry system for automatic docking maneuvers of Soyuz spaceships.

The first prototypes were manufactured in 1965. On October 30, 1967 took place the first automatic docking of two unmanned Soyuz spacecraft with Cosmos 186 and 188.

However, there were also problems. Thus, the Igla system, the target Soyuz 7 detected not right with Soyuz 8 on 14 October 1969 so that the proposed coupling could not be performed. The mission Soyuz 15 was canceled on 26 August 1974, when the Igla system when docking with the space station Salyut 3 failed. A manual docking was not planned, so that Soyuz 15 had to return to Earth.

Salyut 5, which was launched on June 22, 1976, was equipped with an improved Igla system. Nevertheless, Soyuz 21 had on July 6, 1976 problems during the automatic docking, but could dock manually. When Soyuz 23 fell through on October 16, 1973, both the automatic and manual Andockversuche to Salyut 5 and the ship had to return to Earth.

The successor system course came in 1987, for the first time on Soyuz TM-2, are used.