Information
Explore history, facts, modules, and life on board Salyut 2.
Salyut 2
The first Almaz station to reach orbit, lost before any crewed visit.
Salyut 2 was the public name for OPS-1, the first Almaz military station to reach orbit. NASA RP-1357 describes the station as losing stability soon after launch, tumbling, breaking up on April 14, 1973, and having all trackable pieces reenter by May 28, 1973.
DeorbitedLow Earth orbitAlmaz program
Program
Almaz
First Almaz military station launched under the Salyut cover name.
Launch
1973-04-03
Reached low Earth orbit on a Proton-K launch from Baikonur.
Outcome
Uncrewed failure
Lost attitude control, depressurized, and reentered before any Soyuz crew could visit.
All values are approximate and vary with configuration.