Salyut 1

Salyut 1 reached orbit on April 19, 1971 and became the first space station. NASA describes Soyuz 10 as the first crewed spacecraft sent to the station, though its crew could not enter after a docking mechanism problem. Soyuz 11 later docked successfully and its crew lived aboard Salyut 1 for a then record-setting station mission before dying during return to Earth when their Soyuz spacecraft depressurized. Controllers commanded Salyut 1 into destructive reentry over the Pacific Ocean on October 11, 1971.