Credit: © Mark Wade. 1,483 bytes. 71 x 353 pixels.
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| Soyuz LV - Credit: © Mark Wade. 1,483 bytes. 71 x 353 pixels. |
The Kozlov filial of Korolev's OKB-1 was tasked with designing the Soyuz 7K-VI manned military spacecraft. In the first quarter of 1967 a substantially revised design was issued. The new spacecraft, with a crew of two, would have a total mass of 6.6 tonnes and could operate for a month in orbit. However the 11A511 launch vehicle could only put 6.3 tonnes into the 65 degree inclination design orbit. This would limit the crew to one. However the military objected to this. A second cosmonaut, without a spacesuit, but with life support systems and consumables would take another 400 kg of payload. In order to meet the military requirements, Kozlov designed a new variant of the Soyuz launch vehicle, the 11A511M Soyuz-M. The project as reformulated was approved by the central committee on 21 July 1967 by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, with first flight to be in 1968 and operations to begin in 1969. However by the end of the year Kozlov's version of the spacecraft and the project had been taken over by Mishin's main office of OKB-1. Development of the 11A511M continued for a time, perhaps to support planned solo flights of the Soyuz 7K-S military variant (cancelled in 1974). Eight of the 11A511M were built and eventually used to launch a few Zenit-4MT reconnaisance satellite missions from Plesetsk in the early (all other Zenit-4MT used the standard 11A511U). The differences compared to the 11A511U are not known, and what (if anything) differentiated these Zenit-4MT missions from others is also a mystery.
Launches: 8. Failures: 0. Success Rate: 100.00% pct. First Launch Date: 27 December 1971. Last Launch Date: 31 March 1976. LEO Payload: 6,600 kg. to: 300 km Orbit. at: 65.0 degrees.
Decree 715-240 'On the Creation of Space Systems for Naval Reconnaissance Comprising the US sat and the R-36-based booster -further work on the US naval reconnaissance satellite, approval of work on the Yantar-2K, and course of work on 7K-VI Zvezda'.
An entire family of Yantar spacecraft was proposed by Kozlov�s design bureau during the initial development; information on two film return models has been declassified. Yantar was initially derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, including systems developed for the Soyuz VI military model. During design and development this changed until it had very little in common with Soyuz.
Following numerous problems in the first flight tests of the Soyuz 7K-OK, Kozlov ordered a complete redesign of the 7K-VI manned military spacecraft. The new spacecraft, with a crew of two, would have a total mass of 6.6 tonnes and could operate for a month in orbit. The new design switched the positions of the Soyuz descent module and the orbital modules and was 300 kg too heavy for the standard 11A511 launch vehicle. Therefore Kozlov designed a new variant of the Soyuz launch vehicle, the 11A511M. The project was approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, with first flight to be in 1968 and operations to begin in 1969. The booster design, with unknown changes to the basic Soyuz, did not go into full production.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; deployed science capsule.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; carried science package.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; separated science capsule.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; separated science capsule.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; separated science capsule.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; separated science capsule.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; separated science capsule.
Military topography satellite; returned film capsule; also performed mapping, geodesy, earth resources; deployed capsule.