Soyuz 12

Soyuz 12 launched Vasili Lazarev and Oleg Makarov from Baikonur Site 1/5 on September 27, 1973, and landed southwest of Karaganda on September 29 after about 1 day, 23 hours, and 15 minutes in flight. Spacefacts identifies Lazarev as commander and Makarov as flight engineer, with both crew members credited for 31 orbits. The mission was the first crewed test of the redesigned Soyuz ferry spacecraft after the Soyuz 11 accident. The capsule was reduced to a two-person crew configuration so the cosmonauts could wear pressure suits during launch, reentry, and other hazardous phases. With no available Salyut target after earlier station failures, Soyuz 12 became a short systems-verification flight rather than a station visit. Its successful landing helped restore confidence in the Soyuz crew-transport design before later Salyut missions resumed.