 | |
| Mission type | Orbital test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| COSPAR ID | 1975-106A |
| SATCAT no. | 8430 |
| Mission duration | 90 days, 11 hours and 47 minutes |
| Orbits completed | 1470 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz 7K-T No.8 |
| Spacecraft type | Soyuz 7K-T/A9 |
| Manufacturer | NPO Energia |
| Launch mass | 6,570 kg (14,480 lb)[1] |
| Landing mass | 2,800 kg (6,200 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 November 1975, 14:36:37 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-U |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5[2] |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 16 February 1976, 02:24 UTC |
| Landing site | 56 km at the southwest of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[3] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 199.7 km (124.1 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 263.5 km (163.7 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.6° |
| Period | 88.8 minutes |
| Docking with Salyut 4[4][5] | |
| Docking date | 19 November 1975, 16:19 UTC |
| Undocking date | 16 February 1976, 23:07 UTC |
| Time docked | 89 days, 6 hours and 48 minutes |
Soyuz 20 (Russian: Союз 20, Union 20) was an uncrewed spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union. It was a long-duration test of the Soyuz spacecraft that docked with the Salyut 4 space station. Soyuz 20 performed comprehensive checking of improved on-board systems of the spacecraft under various flight conditions. It also carried a biological payload. Living organisms were exposed to three months in space. The primary goal of the mission was to test hardware modifications to the Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft that would extend its operating life from two to three months in preparation for long-duration Salyut crew residencies.
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