Kosmos 1669
Encyclopedia
Kosmos-1669 was a Progress spacecraft used to resupply the Salyut 7
space station
. It was a Progress 7K-TG
spacecraft with the serial number
126.
Kosmos-1669 was launched by a Soyuz-U
carrier rocket from Site 1/5
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
, at 13:05 GMT on 19 July 1985. The spacecraft docked with the aft port of Salyut 7 at 15:05 GMT on 21 July. Following undocking on 28 August, it moved away from the station, before returning and redocking to test the reliability of the docking system. It undocked for a second time at 21:50 GMT, and was deorbited on 30 August, with the spacecraft burning up over the Pacific Ocean
at 01:20 GMT.
Kosmos-1669 was the first cargo spacecraft to visit Salyut 7 after its reactivation. It delivered new spacesuits, to replace ones damaged by cold temperatures whilst Salyut 7 was deactivated, as well as replacement parts and consumables. It was also the last Progress flight as part of the Salyut programme; all further cargo missions to Salyut 7 would use TKS spacecraft
. The next Progress mission was Progress 25 to Mir
.
As of 2009, Kosmos-1669 is the only Progress spacecraft to have received a Kosmos
designation, which are usually reserved for military, experimental and failed spacecraft. It has been reported that this may have been an error due to confusion with a TKS spacecraft
which later became Kosmos 1686, or that the spacecraft may have gone out of control shortly after launch, but then been recovered after the Kosmos designation had been applied. Alternatively, it could have been given the designation as it was used to test modifications that would be used on future Progress missions. Some news agencies reported that it was a free-flying Progress-derived spacecraft, or that it was a new type of spacecraft derived from the Progress.
Salyut 7
Salyut 7 was a space station in low Earth orbit from April 1982 to February 1991. It was first manned in May 1982 with two crew via Soyuz T-5, and last visited in June 1986, by Soyuz T-15. Various crew and modules were used over its lifetime, including a total of 12 manned and 15 unmanned launches...
space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
. It was a Progress 7K-TG
Progress 7K-TG
Progress 7K-TG , was a Soviet unmanned spacecraft used to resupply space stations in low Earth orbit. Forty three flew, delivering cargo to Salyut 6, Salyut 7, and Mir...
spacecraft with the serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
126.
Kosmos-1669 was launched by a Soyuz-U
Soyuz-U
The Soyuz-U launch vehicle is an improved version of the original Soyuz LV. Soyuz-U is part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia....
carrier rocket from Site 1/5
Gagarin's Start
Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
, at 13:05 GMT on 19 July 1985. The spacecraft docked with the aft port of Salyut 7 at 15:05 GMT on 21 July. Following undocking on 28 August, it moved away from the station, before returning and redocking to test the reliability of the docking system. It undocked for a second time at 21:50 GMT, and was deorbited on 30 August, with the spacecraft burning up over the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
at 01:20 GMT.
Kosmos-1669 was the first cargo spacecraft to visit Salyut 7 after its reactivation. It delivered new spacesuits, to replace ones damaged by cold temperatures whilst Salyut 7 was deactivated, as well as replacement parts and consumables. It was also the last Progress flight as part of the Salyut programme; all further cargo missions to Salyut 7 would use TKS spacecraft
TKS spacecraft
TKS spacecraft was a Soviet spacecraft design in the late 1960s intended to supply the military Almaz space station. The spacecraft was designed for manned or autonomous cargo resupply use...
. The next Progress mission was Progress 25 to Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
.
As of 2009, Kosmos-1669 is the only Progress spacecraft to have received a Kosmos
Cosmos (satellite)
Kosmos is a designation given to a large number of satellites operated by the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia. Kosmos 1, the first spacecraft to be given a Kosmos designation, was launched on March 16, 1962....
designation, which are usually reserved for military, experimental and failed spacecraft. It has been reported that this may have been an error due to confusion with a TKS spacecraft
TKS spacecraft
TKS spacecraft was a Soviet spacecraft design in the late 1960s intended to supply the military Almaz space station. The spacecraft was designed for manned or autonomous cargo resupply use...
which later became Kosmos 1686, or that the spacecraft may have gone out of control shortly after launch, but then been recovered after the Kosmos designation had been applied. Alternatively, it could have been given the designation as it was used to test modifications that would be used on future Progress missions. Some news agencies reported that it was a free-flying Progress-derived spacecraft, or that it was a new type of spacecraft derived from the Progress.