Soyuz 7K-OK

The Soyuz 7K-OK was the first operational version of the Soyuz, a three-person Earth orbit spacecraft approved by a Soviet decree of 3 December 1963 and developed under Sergei Korolev's design bureau. It was meant to perform automatic rendezvous, approach and docking, to let crew transfer between spacecraft through open space, and to manoeuvre in orbit. It became the first spacecraft to complete automated orbital rendezvous, docking and crew transfer, and it served as the basis for the Soyuz ferries later flown to the Salyut and Almaz stations. Its record was troubled: the first orbital launch in November 1966 was destroyed by the on-board destruct system, a pad abort in December 1966 exploded the launch vehicle and killed and injured several people, and Soyuz 1 ended in 1967 with the death of cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov. After redesign it flew about thirteen further relatively successful crewed and uncrewed flights. The capsule held up to three people, with a gross mass of 6,560 kilograms.