List of space stations by country

Last updated

This list of space stations is grouped by countries responsible for their operations. The space stations where multiple countries are responsible for their operations are listed separately. Planned and canceled space stations are excluded from this list.

Contents

 Never crewed, prototype
Never crewed, non-prototype

Chinese space stations

NameEntityProgramCrew
size
Launch
date
Reentry
date
Days
in orbit
Days
occu-
pied
Total crew
and visitors
Number of
crewed visits
Number of
robotic visits
Mass
(* = at launch)
Pressurized volume
Tiangong-1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CMSA Tiangong 3 [1] 29 September 2011 [2] 2 April 2018 [3] 237725 [4] 6 [4] [5] 2 [4] 1 [6] 8,506 kg (18,753 lb) [7] 15 m3 (530 cu ft) [8]
Tiangong-2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CMSA 215 September 201619 July 20191037262118,506 kg (18,753 lb) [7] 15 m3 (530 cu ft) [8]
Tiangong space station 329 April 2021in orbit13081178248822,600 kg (49,800 lb)110 m3 (3,880 cu ft) (planned)

Soviet/Russian space stations

NameEntityProgramCrew
size
Launch
date
Reentry
date
Days
in orbit
Days
occu-
pied
Total crew
and visitors
Number of
crewed visits
Number of
robotic visits
Mass
(* = at launch)
Pressurized volume
Salyut 1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR DOS [9] 3 [10] 19 April 1971 [11] 11 October 1971 [12] 17524 [13] 6 [14] 2 [14] 0 [14] 18,425 kg (40,620 lb) [11] 100 m3 (3,500 cu ft) [15]
DOS-2 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSRDOS [16] [a] 29 July 1972 [11] [17] 29 July 1972failed to reach orbit18,000 kg (40,000 lb) [18]
Salyut 2 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSRAlmaz [17] [a] 3 April 1973 [17] 16 April 1973 [17] 13 [17] 18,500 kg (40,800 lb) [19]
Kosmos 557 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSRDOS [20] [a] 11 May 1973 [21] 22 May 1973 [22] 1119,400 kg (42,800 lb) [18]
Salyut 3 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSRAlmaz [9] 2 [23] 25 May 1974 [24] 24 January 1975 [25] 21315 [26] 2 [26] 1 [26] 018,900 kg (41,700 lb)* [27] 90 m3 (3,200 cu ft) [20]
Salyut 4 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSRDOS [28] 2 [29] 26 December 1974 [30] 3 February 1977 [30] 770 [30] 92 [31] 4 [31] 2 [31] [32] 1 [31] 18,900 kg (41,700 lb) [20] *90 m3 (3,200 cu ft) [20]
Salyut 5 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSRAlmaz [28] 2 [33] 22 June 1976 [34] 8 August 1977 [35] 41267 [36] 4 [36] 3 [36] 0 [36] 19,000 kg (42,000 lb) [20] *100 m3 (3,500 cu ft) [20]
Salyut 6 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSRDOS [28] [37] 2 [38] 29 September 1977 [38] 29 July 1982 [39] 1764683 [40] 33 [40] 16 [40] 14 [40] 19,000 kg (42,000 lb) [41] 90 m3 (3,200 cu ft) [42]
Salyut 7 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR3 [43] 19 April 1982 [44] 7 February 1991 [44] 3216 [44] 861 [43] 22 [43] 10 [43] 15 [43] 19,000 kg (42,000 lb) [45] 90 m3 (3,200 cu ft) [20]
Mir
3 [46] 19 February 1986 [47] [b] 23 March 2001 [48] [47] 5511 [47] 4594 [49] 125 [49] 39 [50] 68 [49] 129,700 kg (285,900 lb) [51] 350 m3 (12,400 cu ft) [52]

United States space stations

NameEntityProgramCrew
size
Launch
date
Reentry
date
Days
in orbit
Days
occu-
pied
Total crew
and visitors
Number of
crewed visits
Number of
robotic visits
Mass
(* = at launch)
Pressurized volume
OPS 0855 Military service mark of the United States Air Force.svg USAF MOL
3 November 1966 [53] 9 January 1967 [53] 679,680 kg (21,340 lb)11.3 m3 (400 cu ft)
Skylab NASA logo.svg NASA Skylab [54] 3 [55] 14 May 1973 [56] 11 July 1979 [48] 2249171 [57] 9 [58] 3 [59] 0 [60] 77,088 kg (169,950 lb) [61] 360 m3 (12,700 cu ft) [62]
Genesis I Flag of the United States.svg Bigelow Aerospace
12 July 2006 [63] (In Orbit)67131,360 kg (3,000 lb) [64] 11.5 m3 (410 cu ft) [65]
Genesis II Flag of the United States.svg Bigelow Aerospace
28 June 2007 [63] (In Orbit)63621,360 kg (3,000 lb) [64] 11.5 m3 (406 cu ft) [65]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 The USSR intended to crew these stations with 2 men, however they re-entered the atmosphere before the cosmonauts were launched.
  2. Launch date of the initial module. Additional modules for this station were launched later.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extravehicular activity</span> Activity done by an astronaut or cosmonaut outside a spacecraft

Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA includes spacewalks and lunar or planetary surface exploration. In a stand-up EVA (SEVA), an astronaut stands through an open hatch but does not fully leave the spacecraft. EVAs have been conducted by the Soviet Union/Russia, the United States, Canada, the European Space Agency and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space station</span> Habitable artificial satellite

A space station is a spacecraft which remains in orbit and hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring habitation facilities. The purpose of maintaining a space station varies depending on the program. Most often space stations have been research stations, but they have also served military or commercial uses, such as hosting space tourists.

<i>Mir</i> Soviet/Russian space station (1986–2001)

Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russian Federation. Mir was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. It had a greater mass than any previous spacecraft. At the time it was the largest artificial satellite in orbit, succeeded by the International Space Station (ISS) after Mir's orbit decayed. The station served as a microgravity research laboratory in which crews conducted experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and spacecraft systems with a goal of developing technologies required for permanent occupation of space.

Human spaceflight programs have been conducted, started, or planned by multiple countries and companies. Until the 21st century, human spaceflight programs were sponsored exclusively by governments, through either the military or civilian space agencies. With the launch of the privately funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new category of human spaceflight programs – commercial human spaceflight – arrived. By the end of 2022, three countries and one private company (SpaceX) had successfully launched humans to Earth orbit, and two private companies had launched humans on a suborbital trajectory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soyuz 11</span> 1971 Soviet spaceflight, first spaceflight to visit a space station, and fatal disaster

Soyuz 11 was the only crewed mission to board the world's first space station, Salyut 1. The crew, Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, and Viktor Patsayev, arrived at the space station on 7 June 1971, and departed on 29 June 1971. The mission ended in disaster when the crew capsule depressurised during preparations for re-entry, killing the three-person crew. The three crew members of Soyuz 11 are the only humans to have died in space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salyut 2</span> Failed Soviet space station (1973)

Salyut 2 (OPS-1) was a Soviet space station which was launched in 1973 as part of the Salyut programme. It was the first Almaz military space station to fly. Within two weeks of its launch, the station had lost altitude control and depressurized, leaving it unusable. Its orbit decayed and it re-entered the atmosphere on 28 May 1973, without any crews having visited it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salyut 5</span> Soviet space station (1976–1977)

Salyut 5, also known as OPS-3, was a Soviet space station. Launched in 1976 as part of the Salyut programme, it was the third and last Almaz space station to be launched for the Soviet military. Two Soyuz missions visited the station, each crewed by two cosmonauts. A third Soyuz mission attempted to visit the station, but failed to dock, whilst a fourth mission was planned but never launched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salyut 6</span> Soviet space station (1977–1982)

Salyut 6 was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme, and alternatively known DOS-5 as it was the fifth of the Durable Orbital Station series of civilian space stations. It was launched on 29 September 1977 by a Proton rocket. Salyut 6 was the first space station to receive large numbers of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft for human habitation, crew transfer, international participation and resupply, establishing precedents for station life and operations which were enhanced on Mir and the International Space Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almaz</span> Soviet military space station program

The Almaz program was a highly secret Soviet military space station program, begun in the early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skylab Rescue</span> Unflown spaceflight contingency plan

The Skylab Rescue Mission was an unflown rescue mission, planned as a contingency in the event of astronauts being stranded aboard the American Skylab space station. If flown, it would have used a modified Apollo Command Module that could be launched with a crew of two and return a crew of five.

Shuttle–<i>Mir</i> program 1993–1998 collaborative Russia–US space program

The Shuttle–Mir program was a collaborative space program between Russia and the United States that involved American Space Shuttles visiting the Russian space station Mir, Russian cosmonauts flying on the Shuttle, and an American astronaut flying aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to allow American astronauts to engage in long-duration expeditions aboard Mir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progress 1</span> Soviet cargo spacecraft

Progress 1, was a Soviet unmanned Progress cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1978 to resupply the Salyut 6 space station. It was the maiden flight of the Progress spacecraft, and used the Progress 7K-TG configuration. It carried supplies for the EO-1 crew aboard Salyut 6, which consisted of Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Georgy Grechko. The cargo carried by Progress 1 also included equipment for conducting scientific research, and fuel for adjusting the station's orbit and performing manoeuvres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlan space suit</span> Series of space suit models from Russia

The Orlan space suit is a series of semi-rigid one-piece space suit models designed and built by NPP Zvezda. They have been used for spacewalks (EVAs) in the Russian space program, the successor to the Soviet space program, and by space programs of other countries, including NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kvant-1</span> Soviet space module

Kvant-1 (37KE) was the first module to be attached in 1987 to the Mir Core Module, which formed the core of the Soviet space station Mir. It remained attached to Mir until the entire space station was deorbited in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skylab B</span> Proposed second US space station similar to Skylab

Skylab B was a proposed second US space station similar to Skylab that was planned to be launched by NASA for different purposes, mostly involving the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, but was canceled due to lack of funding. Two Skylab modules were built in 1970 by McDonnell Douglas for the Skylab program, originally the Apollo Applications Program. The first was launched in 1973 and the other put in storage, while NASA considered how to use the remaining assets from Apollo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DOS-2</span> Failed Soviet space station (1972)

DOS-2 was a space station, launched as part of the Salyut programme, which was lost in a launch failure on 29 July 1972, when the failure of the second stage of its Proton-K launch vehicle prevented the station from achieving orbit. It instead fell into the Pacific Ocean. The station, which would have been given the designation Salyut 2 had it reached orbit, was structurally identical to Salyut 1, as it had been assembled as a backup unit for that station. Four teams of cosmonauts were formed to crew the station, of which two would have flown:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space research</span> Scientific studies carried out using scientific equipment in outer space

Space research is scientific study carried out in outer space, and by studying outer space. From the use of space technology to the observable universe, space research is a wide research field. Earth science, materials science, biology, medicine, and physics all apply to the space research environment. The term includes scientific payloads at any altitude from deep space to low Earth orbit, extended to include sounding rocket research in the upper atmosphere, and high-altitude balloons.

References

  1. Stephen Clark. "Chinese rocket successfully launches mini-space lab". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  2. Ken Kremer (29 September 2011). "China Blasts First Space Lab Tiangong 1 to Orbit". universetoday.com.
  3. Kuo, Lily (2018-04-02). "Tiangong-1 crash: Chinese space station comes down in Pacific Ocean". The Guardian.
  4. 1 2 3 Amos, Jonathan (2012-06-18). "Shenzhou 9 Docks with Tiangong 1". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  5. Shenzhou 10#Crew
  6. Amos, Jonathan (2 November 2011). "Chinese spacecraft dock in orbit". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Tiangong". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Chinese Space Program | Tiangong 1 | SinoDefence.com". SinoDefence.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  9. 1 2 Harland, David Michael (2005). The Story Of Space Station Mir. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 351. ISBN   978-0-387-73977-9.
  10. "Space Stations". ThinkQuest. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 "Salyut 1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  12. Tony Long (19 April 2011). "April 19, 1971: Soviets Put First Space Station Into Orbit". Wired.
  13. "Space Station". World Almanac Education Group Inc. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 Vic Stathopoulos. "The first Space Station - Salyut 1". aerospaceguide.net. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  15. Gibbons, John H. (2008). Salyut: Soviet steps toward permanent human presence in space. DIANE Publishing. p. 15. ISBN   978-1-4289-2401-7.
  16. Grujica S. Ivanovich (2008). Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 329. Bibcode:2008saly.book.....I. ISBN   978-0-387-73973-1.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Zimmerman, Robert (2003). Leaving Earth. Washington, DC, United States: Joseph Henry Press. p.  84. ISBN   978-0-309-08548-9.
  18. 1 2 "Salyut". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  19. "Saylut 2". NASA. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 D.S.F. Portree (1995). "Mir Hardware Heritage" (PDF). NASA Sti/Recon Technical Report N. 95: 23249. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2010. (Full text available on Wikisource)
  21. "NASA – NSSDC – Spacecraft – Trajectory Details". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  22. "Large Uncontrolled Reentries". planet4589.org. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  23. Furniss, Tim (2003). A History of Space Exploration: And Its Future... Lyons Press. p. 200. ISBN   978-1-58574-650-7.
  24. "Salyut-3 (OPS-2)". Russian Space Web. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  25. "Largest Objects to Reenter". Aerospace Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  26. 1 2 3 "Resident Crews of Salyut 3". spacefacts.de. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  27. "Skylab". University of Oregon. Retrieved 31 January 2012. (Lecture at the University of Oregon, Salyut 3 is mentioned later in the lecture)
  28. 1 2 3 Dudley-Rowley, Marilyn (2006). The Mir Crew Safety Record: Implications for Space Colonization (Report). American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 2.
  29. "Salyut 4". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  30. 1 2 3 "Salyut-4". Aerospaceguide. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  31. 1 2 3 4 "The DOS Space Stations: Salyut 4". Zarya.info. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  32. "Spaceflight :Soviet Space Stations". Centennial of Flight. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  33. "Soyuz 21". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on August 27, 2002. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  34. "OPS-3 (Salyut-5) space station". Russian Space Web. Archived from the original on 4 June 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  35. "Sixth Salyut Space Station Launched". Science News. 112 (15): 229. 1977. doi:10.2307/3962473. JSTOR   3962472. (requires JSTOR access)
  36. 1 2 3 4 "Salyut 5". Aerospaceguide. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  37. Grujica S. Ivanovich (2008). Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 358. Bibcode:2008saly.book.....I. ISBN   978-0-387-73973-1.
  38. 1 2 "Salyut 6". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  39. Robert Christy. "The DOS Space Stations: Expedition 5 (1981) and The End". Zarya. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  40. 1 2 3 4 "Salyut 6". Aerospaceguide. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  41. "Salyut 6 (craft information)". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on August 23, 2002. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  42. "Salyut 6". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 "Salyut 7". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on August 23, 2002. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  44. 1 2 3 "Summary of Recovered Reentry Debris". Aerospace Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  45. "Salyut 7". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  46. Seth Borenstein (16 November 1995). "Atlantis' Astronauts Bear Gifts To Mir Crew". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  47. 1 2 3 Tony Long (19 February 2008). "Feb. 19, 1986: Mir, the Little Space Station That Could". Wired. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  48. 1 2 Stewart Taggart (22 March 2001). "The Day the Sky(lab) Fell". Wired. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  49. 1 2 3 "Mir Space Station". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  50. "Mir". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  51. "Space Station Mir". SpaceStationInfo. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  52. Macatangay, Ariel V.; Perry, Ray L. Cabin Air Quality On Board Mir and the International Space Station—A Comparison (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  53. 1 2 "Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles". Designation Systems. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  54. Harris, Phillip (2008). Space Enterprise: Living and Working Offworld in the 21st Century. Springer. p. 582. ISBN   978-0-387-77639-2.
  55. Collins, Martin, ed. (2007). After Sputnik: 50 Years of the Space Age. United States: Smithsonian Institution with Harper Collins Books. p.  161. ISBN   978-0-06-089781-9.
  56. "Skylab". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  57. "Summary of Skylab missions". history.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  58. "Skylab 30 Years Later". Space Daily. 11 November 2003.
  59. Tony Long (11 July 2008). "July 11, 1979: Look Out Below! Here Comes Skylab!". Wired. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  60. Oberg, Jame (1992). "Skylab's Untimely Fate". Air & Space. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  61. "BBC – Solar System – Skylab (pictures, video, facts & news)". BBC. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  62. Zimmerman, Robert (2003). Leaving Earth. Washington, DC, United States: Joseph Henry Press. p.  51. ISBN   978-0-309-08548-9.
  63. 1 2 "The Dnpur launcher". Russian Space Web. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  64. 1 2 Alan Boyle (17 April 2007). "Private space station test delayed till May". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  65. 1 2 Tariq Malik and Leonard David. "Bigelow's Second Orbital Module Launches Into Space". Space.com. Retrieved 5 May 2012.