Launch vehicle
Soyuz U
- Height
- 51.1 m
- Diameter
- 2.95 m
- Stages
- 3
- Recorded launches
- 714
- First flight
- 1973-05-18
Historical mission record
This page records Soyuz-U | Soyuz 31 and its reported outcome: Launch Successful. The date above is a historical record.
Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.
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Mission status
Launch Successful
Status reported by the mission data provider.
LAUNCH SITEBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Mission
Soyuz 31 was the sixth mission to visit the Salyut 6 space station and carried the the EP-4 crew, which visited the long-duration Soyuz 29 resident crew. The mission began on August 26, 1978, 14:51:30 UTC, launching Commander Valery Bukovsky and Research Cosmonaut/Flight Engineer Sigmund Jähn, the first German cosmonaut, into orbit. They docked with the station the next day. During their stay on the station, crew conducted various scientific experiments. Soyuz 31 crew swapped vehicles with the Soyuz 29 (EO-2 expedition) crew, which allowed for a longer stay in orbit for EO-2. The mission concluded with a safe landing back on Earth on September 3, 1978, 11:40:34 UTC.
- Launch vehicle
- Soyuz U
- Mission type
- Human Exploration
- Destination orbit
- Low Earth Orbit
- Spacecraft
- Soyuz 31
- Destination
- Salyut 6
- Launch pad
- 1/5
- Provider
- Soviet Space Program
- Programs
- Soyuz, Salyut
The vehicle
Published configuration and flight history.
Recorded timing
This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.
Instantaneous windowPublished target
SCHEDULED MOMENT
A single scheduled moment. The schedule may change before launch.
Launch site & orbit
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
The mission in perspective
Launch site & orbit
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Coverage & sources
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Mission coverage
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Further reading
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