Soyuz 20
Soyuz 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.
Mission parameters
- Mass:
- Perigee:
- Apogee:
- Inclination: 51.6°
- Period: 88.8 minutes