Almaz program

Lore & Background

The Almaz program was initiated in 1964 by Vladimir Chelomey at OKB-52, who used American press coverage of the MOL project to lobby for a Soviet counterpart—though MOL had already been formally approved in December 1963, before Almaz began. The program involved three major hardware components: the Orbital Piloted Station (OPS) module as the station core, the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) for resupply, and the VA spacecraft for crew launch and return. The OPS had a maximum diameter of 4.15 meters, a mass of roughly 20 tonnes, and an internal habitable volume of 47.5 cubic meters. Initial plans called for launching the OPS and a VA return craft together on a Proton rocket, with crew accessing the station through a hatch in the VA's heat shield, but delays in man-rating the VA and Proton led to crews being launched separately via Soyuz spacecraft.

Reader's Guide

The Almaz program's significance lies in its role as the Soviet Union's primary military space station effort, directly competing with the U.S. MOL project. Although MOL was cancelled in 1969, Almaz continued and was integrated into the Salyut program, resulting in three flown stations. Two of these, Salyut 3 and Salyut 5, conducted successful crewed testing, with crews spending a total of 81 days aboard. The program is unique for equipping stations with a Rikhter R-23 23mm rapid-fire cannon, tested remotely on Salyut 3. Despite its achievements, the Soviet Ministry of Defense judged in 1978 that station maintenance costs outweighed benefits compared to automatic reconnaissance satellites, leading to cancellation. However, the program's legacy persists through the International Space Station module Zarya, and several unflown Almaz hulls were acquired by Excalibur Almaz for potential future use. The program also produced uncrewed radar-carrying reconnaissance satellites, including Almaz-T2 (Kosmos 1870), the first commercial radar satellite.

Did You Know?

• The Almaz series are the only known armed, crewed military spacecraft ever flown, equipped with a Rikhter R-23 23mm rapid-fire cannon.
• Salyut 3 successfully test-fired its cannon remotely while uncrewed, firing 20 rounds at a target satellite.
• The program's heritage continues through the TKS spacecraft, not directly through the International Space Station module Zarya.
• Almaz-T2 (Kosmos 1870) was the first commercial radar satellite, according to Excalibur Almaz chairman Art Dula.