Soyuz T-13

Soyuz T-13 was the 1985 Salyut 7 repair mission and one of the most consequential manual rendezvous missions in human spaceflight. Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh launched from Baikonur on June 6, 1985, reached Salyut 7 on June 8, and manually docked with an unpowered, slowly tumbling station that had been out of contact and uncrewed for months. After checking the atmosphere and entering the cold station in winter clothing, the crew restored electrical power, recharged batteries, restarted environmental systems, and brought the station back into operational condition. The mission restored Salyut 7 well enough for Progress 24, Kosmos 1669, and the later Soyuz T-14 crew to dock. On August 2, 1985, Dzhanibekov and Savinykh performed an EVA to extend a solar array, install and exchange external experiments, and work in the improved Orlan-DM suits. Dzhanibekov returned to Earth on Soyuz T-13 with Georgi Grechko on September 26, while Savinykh remained aboard Salyut 7 and returned later on Soyuz T-14 after the expedition was shortened by Vladimir Vasyutin's illness. This AeroVia record links the verified Soyuz T-13 launch and repair crew; the full Soyuz T-14 handover and resident-expedition chain still needs its own modeled batch.