Kosmos 1267

Cosmos 929

Cosmos 1443

The designation Kosmos 1267 a Soviet spacecraft TKS series was launched on 25 April 1981. Originally, with around 20 tons of quite large TKS ships planned as a space shuttle for transporting people in the military Almaz program ( for comparison: the Soyuz spacecraft to transport two to three people weigh less than eight tons). Manned flights were never realized with TKS. So the ferry TKS -2 was rebuilt and unmanned started as Cosmos 1267, to supply the Salyut 6 space station with supplies and fuel. Previously, various flight maneuvers were tested in Earth orbit, so that the cosmos in 1267 only after 55 days of autonomous flight on 19 June 1981 docked in an automated docking at the forward docking port of the Salyut 6 space station. With the docked module Kosmos 1267 Salyut 6 was thus the forerunner of a modular space station.

However, the use of the module by the crew of a space station could not be performed because the last crew Salyut 6 had already left before coupling of the Cosmos 1267 and Salyut 6 was not manned again after docking of Cosmos 1267. But even without crew wore Kosmos 1267 in the testing of important foundations for the construction of a modular space station. In addition to testing the flight characteristics of the TKS - ship was first demonstrated that large modules can be automatically coupled to each other in orbit. In addition to a mechanical coupling in addition an electrical connection is made automatically, so that the cosmos 1267 ensured the supply of the complex power of the own cells during the docked state. In addition, Cosmos 1267 led by about one's own thrusters maneuver to height and position control. An exchange of fuel between the two spacecraft could not be performed because the front coupling adapter of Salyut 6 was not equipped with the necessary fuel lines.

In space cosmos separated in 1267 which was originally intended for the crew landing capsule from which it landed in Kazakhstan and with the flight proved the functioning of the landing capsule. The return capsule returned already on May 24, 1981 back to Earth. The remaining part of the cosmos in 1267 remained at Salyut 6 coupled and the complex was initially held in the event of problems with the subsequent space station Salyut 7 in reserve. After the successful launch of the successor station Salyut 7, however, no further crews were more on board. After 405 days in space cosmos was in 1267 together with Salyut 6 on July 29, 1982 controlled over the South Pacific to crash.

On the basis of TKS ferry modules (eg Kvant -2) and ISS were later to permanent disposition to the Mir space stations developed (eg Sarja ).

Cosmos 929 | Kosmos 1267 | Kosmos 1443 | Kosmos 1686 | Kwant | Polyus | Kwant 2 | Crystal | Spektr | Priroda | Sarja | MLM

• Supply ship
• Salyut
• Soviet and Russian space
• Space mission in 1981