Soyuz 10

Soyuz 10 was the first crewed spacecraft sent to Salyut 1, the world's first space station. Vladimir Shatalov, Aleksei Yeliseyev, and Nikolai Rukavishnikov launched from Baikonur Site 1/5 on April 22, 1971 and returned on April 24 after a short station-docking attempt. The crew brought major prior Soyuz docking experience to the mission: Shatalov and Yeliseyev had already flown the Soyuz 4 / Soyuz 5 transfer operation and Soyuz 8. NASA and Spacefacts describe Soyuz 10 as reaching Salyut 1 and docking, but the spacecraft could not complete the hard docking and hatch access needed for crew transfer. With entry into the station impossible, the crew departed after several hours and landed safely in Kazakhstan. The flight still established the first crewed approach and docking attempt with a space station and directly informed changes before Soyuz 11.