# Soyuz 11

> crewed Soviet space mission to the Salyut 1 Space Station

**Wikidata**: [Q648581](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q648581)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_11)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/soyuz-11

## Summary

Soyuz 11 was a spacecraft of the Soyuz 7K-T type [1]. It was designed for crewed orbital missions and formed part of the Soviet Union's human spaceflight program. The mission carried three cosmonauts to the Salyut 1 space station, where they conducted experiments during a 23-day stay. [1]

## Summary
Soyuz 11 was a crewed Soviet space mission launched on June 6, 1971, destined for the Salyut 1 Space Station. It is historically notable for being the first successful docking with a space station, following the failed attempt of Soyuz 10. The mission ended tragically on June 30, 1971, when the entire three-person crew died during the return to Earth.

## Key Facts
- **Launch Date:** June 6, 1971, from Baikonur Cosmodrome (Gagarin's Start).
- **Landing Date:** June 30, 1971, in the Karaganda Region.
- **Spacecraft:** Soyuz 7K-OKS (part of the Soyuz programme).
- **Destination:** Salyut 1 Space Station (Low Earth orbit).
- **Crew:** Georgy Dobrovolsky (Commander), Vladislav Volkov (Flight Engineer), and Viktor Patsayev (Test Engineer).
- **Casualties:** All 3 crew members died upon landing.
- **Mission Duration:** 2,053,303 seconds (approx. 23.7 days).
- **Orbits Completed:** 383.
- **Call Sign:** Янтарь (Yantar / "Amber").
- **Orbital Specs:** Apoapsis 237 km, Periapsis 163 km, Inclination 51.57°.

## FAQs
### Q: What was the primary achievement of the Soyuz 11 mission?
A: Soyuz 11 achieved the first successful docking and crew transfer to a space station (Salyut 1), where the crew remained for over 22 days.

### Q: Who were the crew members of Soyuz 11?
A: The crew consisted of Georgy Dobrovolsky (Spacecraft Commander), Vladislav Volkov (Flight Engineer 1), and Viktor Patsayev (Test Engineer).

### Q: How did the Soyuz 11 mission end?
A: The mission concluded with a landing in the Karaganda Region on June 30, 1971, which resulted in the deaths of all three crew members.

## Why It Matters
Soyuz 11 represents a pivotal moment in space exploration history, marking the transition from brief orbital flights to long-duration stays aboard space stations. As the first mission to successfully dock with and inhabit a space station (Salyut 1), it proved that humans could live and work in orbit for extended periods—specifically logging nearly 24 days in space and completing 383 orbits.

However, the mission is equally significant for its tragic conclusion, which resulted in the only human deaths to occur in space (above the Kármán line). The loss of the crew led to major safety reforms in the Soviet space program, including the mandatory use of pressure suits during launch and re-entry. The mission underscored the critical importance of life-support systems reliability and forever changed the safety protocols for human spaceflight.

## Notable For
- **First Successful Space Station Docking:** Succeeded where Soyuz 10 failed, achieving the first crewed docking with Salyut 1.
- **Deadly Re-entry:** The mission is the sole instance of a crew dying during the return phase from space (as indicated by the death count upon landing).
- **Endurance Record:** At the time, the mission set a record for duration in space (approx. 23 days 18 hours).
- **Salyut 1 Connection:** It remains the only successful crewed mission to visit the world's first space station, Salyut 1.

## Body

### Mission Profile
Soyuz 11 was a human spaceflight operated by the Soviet space program. Launched on June 6, 1971, utilizing a Soyuz launch vehicle, the mission followed Soyuz 10, which had failed to dock with the target. The spacecraft used was the Soyuz 7K-OKS model.

**Orbital Parameters:**
The spacecraft operated in a low Earth orbit with the following specifications:
-   **Apoapsis:** 237 km
-   **Periapsis:** 163 km
-   **Orbital Inclination:** 51.57 degrees
-   **Orbital Period:** 88.4 minutes

### The Crew
The mission was manned by three cosmonauts:
-   **Georgy Dobrovolsky:** Spacecraft Commander
-   **Vladislav Volkov:** Flight Engineer 1
-   **Viktor Patsayev:** Test Engineer

The backup crew consisted of Aleksei Gubarev, Vitaly Sevastyanov, and Anatoly Voronov.

### Events and Conclusion
The primary objective was to dock with the Salyut 1 Space Station. The "docking and berthing" event began on June 7, 1971, and lasted until June 29, 1971 (1,900,800 seconds). During this time, the crew completed 383 orbits of the Earth.

The mission concluded with a landing event on June 30, 1971, in the Karaganda Region (coordinates: 45.9167, 63.3333). Tragically, data indicates that all three crew members (total deaths: 3) lost their lives during the landing phase.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Event",
  "name": "Soyuz 11",
  "description": "Crewed Soviet space mission to the Salyut 1 Space Station.",
  "startDate": "1971-06-06",
  "endDate": "1971-06-30",
  "location": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "name": "Baikonur Cosmodrome"
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46378",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_11"
  ],
  "additionalType": "HumanSpaceflight",
  "identifier": "1971-053A"
}

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. [Source](http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-11.htm)