Launch Overview
Vehicle
Soyuz 11A511
Agency
Soviet Space Program
Site / Pad
NIIP-5 / LC1
Outcome
Success
Flight
E 15000-035
COSPAR Designator
1976-100
Mission
Soyuz 23 (Human Exploration)
Soyuz 23 was meant to be the second crewed flight to the Salyut 5 military space station. The mission began on October 14, 1976, 17:39:18 UTC, launching Commander Vyacheslav Zudov and Flight Engineer Valery Rozhdestvensky into orbit. They arrived at the station, but equipment malfunction did not allow docking and the mission had to be aborted Soyuz 23 returned to Earth on October 16, 1976, 17:45:53 UTC, with an unintended splashdown in partially frozen Lake Tengiz. The capsule sunk, and due to fog and other adverse conditions it took nine hours for the rescue team to recover the capsule and crew.
Vehicle & Provider
Rocket
Soyuz
Provider
Soviet Space Program
Agency launches
1055 (76 YTD)
Site launches
467 (24 YTD)
Pad launches
157 (6 YTD)
Payloads (12)
| Piece | Name | Owner | State | Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-100 | Bitovoy otsek | MOM | SU | |
| 1976-100 | Priborno-agregatniy otsek | MOM | SU | |
| 1976-100 | 11S59B | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100 | 11S59V | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100 | 11S59G | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100 | 11S59D | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100 | 11S59A | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100 | Soyuz SAS | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100 | 11S511 Fairing | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100 | 11S511 Fairing | RVSN | ||
| 1976-100A | Soyuz 7K-T(A9) No. 65 | NPOE | SU | Track |
| 1976-100B | 11S510 | RVSN | SU | Track |