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Soviet Space ProgramSoyuz U1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Soyuz 40
Launched
May 14, 1981 · 17:16 UTC
Summary
Soyuz 40 launched on a Soviet Space Program Soyuz U from 1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan on May 14, 1981 at 17:16 UTC. It was Soviet Space Program's 1,488th launch, 37th this year and humanity's 2,435th orbital launch attempt. It was the 239th Soyuz U flight and the 16th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Soyuz-40, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 199 × 277 km orbit inclined 51.6°. 2 crew members flew: Leonid Popov and Dumitru Prunariu. The spacecraft was Soyuz 40 (Soyuz 7K-T 11F615A8 #56). 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
- 239th Soyuz U flight · 16th this yearSoviet Space Program's 1,488th launch37th this yearhumanity's 2,435th orbital launch attempt44th orbital launch attempt this year
Crew
Leonid PopovCommander · RFSA · age 35 · 2nd flight
Dumitru PrunariuResearch Cosmonaut · RFSA · age 28 · first flight
Spacecraft
Soyuz 40 (Soyuz 7K-T 11F615A8 #56)
Soyuz 40 was a Soyuz spacecraft which launched on 14 May 1981 17:16 UTC. It transported two cosmonauts of EP-10 to Salyut 6. The crew was Leonid Popov and Dumitru Prunariu.
- Destination: Salyut 6
- Mission length: 7 days 20 hours
- Docked May 15, 1981 at Salyut-6 aft
The Soyuz spacecraft safely landed in Kazakhstan.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Soyuz-40 · NORAD 12454 · 1981-042 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 1981-042A
- Epoch
- 1981-05-14 21:32:33 UTC
- Mean motion
- 16.15942837 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0059026
- Inclination
- 51.6241°
- Ascending node
- 140.4154°
- Arg. of perigee
- 82.7931°
- Mean anomaly
- 277.9791°
- 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-40 · NORAD 12454 · docked May 15, 1981
Soyuz-U No. 246 Blok-I · re-entered May 16, 1981
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Soyuz 40 was the 16th and final mission to visit the Salyut 6 space station. It carried the the EP-10 crew, which visited the long-duration Soyuz T-4 resident crew. The mission began on May 14, 1981, 17:16:38 UTC, launching Commander Leonid Popov and Research Cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu, the first Romanian cosmonaut, into orbit. They docked with the station the next day. During their 7-day stay on the station, EP-10 crew conducted Earth observation, material, medical and other experiments, including Earth magnetic field and space radiation study. The mission concluded with a safe landing back on Earth on May 22, 1981, 13:58:30 UTC.
Pad
1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
186th launch from 1/5, 4th this year · 595th from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Local pad time at liftoff: May 14, 11:16 PM GMT+6, at night
487 launches from this pad · 1,565 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
53 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of KazakhstanOpen in maps
Questions
When did Soyuz 40 launch?
Soyuz 40 launched on May 14, 1981 at 17:16 UTC.
Where can I watch Soyuz 40?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Soyuz 40?
Soyuz U, flown by Soviet Space Program. Soyuz U spec sheet
Where did Soyuz 40 launch from?
1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan. Liftoff was May 14, 11:16 PM GMT+6 local time at the pad.
What orbit did Soyuz 40 reach?
Soyuz-40, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 199 × 277 km orbit inclined 51.6°.
Which program is Soyuz 40 part of?
Salyut and Soyuz. About Salyut