Launch of the Soviet Salyut 7. Salyut 7 (Russian: Салют-7, translated “Hello 7”) was the seventh and final space station of the Soviet Union’s Salyut program. It operated from April 1982 to February 1991. It was visited by a total of 12 crewed missions (from May 1982 to March 1986) and 15 unmanned missions, including Soyuz-T, Progress, and TKS. Salyut 7 was a crucial step between “monoblock” space stations and the modular approach, and in particular served as a testbed for the docking and resupply operations that would be crucial for the subsequent Mir.
