Soyuz 8

Soyuz 8 launched Vladimir Shatalov and Aleksei Yeliseyev as the third spacecraft in the Soyuz 6 / Soyuz 7 / Soyuz 8 group flight. Spacefacts lists launch from Baikonur Site 31 on October 13, 1969 and landing north of Karaganda on October 18 after 4 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, and 49 seconds in orbit. Shatalov and Yeliseyev had both flown the successful Soyuz 4 / Soyuz 5 docking and transfer earlier in 1969, making Soyuz 8 a follow-on test of more complex rendezvous and docking operations. The planned Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 docking did not occur after problems with rendezvous electronics and maneuver planning. Even without docking, Soyuz 8 completed its role in the first simultaneous three-spacecraft Soviet crewed operation and added another short-duration Soyuz flight to the careers of both crewmembers.