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Soviet Space ProgramSoyuz U1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Soyuz 31
Launched
August 26, 1978 · 14:51 UTC
Summary
Soyuz 31 launched on a Soviet Space Program Soyuz U from 1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan on August 26, 1978 at 14:51 UTC. It was Soviet Space Program's 1,238th launch, 56th this year and humanity's 2,129th orbital launch attempt. It was the 115th Soyuz U flight and the 29th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Soyuz-31, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 201 × 251 km orbit inclined 51.6°. 2 crew members flew: Valery Bykovsky and Sigmund Jähn. The spacecraft was Soyuz 31 (Soyuz 7K-T 11F615A8 #47). 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Human Exploration · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 115th Soyuz U flight · 29th this yearSoviet Space Program's 1,238th launch56th this yearhumanity's 2,129th orbital launch attempt84th orbital launch attempt this year
Launch crew
Valery BykovskyCommander · RFSA · age 44 · 3rd flight
Sigmund JähnResearch Cosmonaut · RFSA · age 41 · first flight
Landing crew
Aleksandr IvanchenkovFlight Engineer · RFSA
Vladimir KovalyonokCommander · RFSA
Spacecraft
Soyuz 31 (Soyuz 7K-T 11F615A8 #47)
Soyuz 31 was a Soyuz spacecraft which launched on 26 August 1978 14:51 UTC. It transported two cosmonauts of EP-4 to Salyut 6. The crew was Valery Bykovsky and Sigmund Jähn.
- Destination: Salyut 6
- Mission length: 67 days
- Docked August 28, 1978 at Salyut-6 aft
- Docked September 7, 1978 at Salyut-6 forward
The Soyuz spacecraft safely landed in Kazakhstan.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Soyuz-31 · NORAD 11010 · 1978-081 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 1978-081A
- Epoch
- 1978-08-26 19:07:14 UTC
- Mean motion
- 16.20413421 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0037965
- Inclination
- 51.6186°
- Ascending node
- 206.2714°
- Arg. of perigee
- 61.8984°
- Mean anomaly
- 300.7185°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 3
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage
- Soyuz-31 · NORAD 11010 · docked August 27, 1978
Soyuz-U No. 159 Blok-I · re-entered August 28, 1978
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
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.
Pad
1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
168th launch from 1/5, 6th this year · 528th from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Local pad time at liftoff: Aug 26, 7:51 PM GMT+5, in twilight
487 launches from this pad · 1,565 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
59 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of KazakhstanOpen in maps
Questions
When did Soyuz 31 launch?
Soyuz 31 launched on August 26, 1978 at 14:51 UTC.
Where can I watch Soyuz 31?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Soyuz 31?
Soyuz U, flown by Soviet Space Program. Soyuz U spec sheet
Where did Soyuz 31 launch from?
1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan. Liftoff was Aug 26, 7:51 PM GMT+5 local time at the pad.
What orbit did Soyuz 31 reach?
Soyuz-31, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 201 × 251 km orbit inclined 51.6°.
Which program is Soyuz 31 part of?
Salyut and Soyuz. About Salyut