From Tragedy to Triumph, the Story of the Soviet Soyuz Capsule

On April 23, 1967 the first of a prolific series of spacecraft launched into the cosmos. Doubts swirled around the circle of cosmonauts about the safety of the craft; however, the Soviet leadership had no plans to delay the mission. This was the 50^th anniversary of the October revolution after all. Vladimir Komarov stepped into that spacecraft that day knowing there was a good chance he would not return alive.

These were the early days of crewed spaceflight and on both sides of the Iron Curtain, the pilots knew the risks. There was a difference though, the United States was very public with their launches; the Soviet Union was very secretive. With that, Astronauts and NASA knew that trial and error was not the way forward; a failed mission would likely translate to a loss of face and more so a loss of crew. The Soviets had more freedom as the Space program was a military endeavor and a failed mission could easily be softened on the international stage.

On the steppes of now Kazakhstan, Vladimir Komarov and his comrades had misgivings about the new Soyuz craft. Concerns about the rushed development and reports of technical issues cast a shadow, despite the optimism of the space program. Several uncrewed test flights of the Soyuz spacecraft (reportedly Kosmos 133 and Kosmos 140) identified serious technical problems, including engine malfunctions and parachute failures. Despite these issues, the mission was pushed forward.

The launch of Colonel Komarov ended in disaster. When the craft reached orbit, a solar panel failed to extend, giving the craft reduced power and although Soyuz was able to re-enter the atmosphere the parachute failed thus ending the cosmonaut’s life. Following the Soyuz 1 tragedy, investigations identified parachute malfunctions and faulty descent module separation as key issues. The Soyuz design was overhauled, with improvements made to the parachute system and the separation mechanism to ensure safer re-entry for future missions.

Soyuz has since become the most prolific crewed spacecraft in terms of launches. It is still Russia’s workhorse in bringing crew (Astronauts and Cosmonauts) to the International Space Station. Although issues have developed from time to time, the spacecraft is well-proven.

From these early days of crewed spaceflight to now; space has become and is becoming a more familiar place to utilize whether for military, commercial or civil reasons. To reach the current state of Space affairs, countries and more importantly people, have given their lives. Please see this list below as a remembrance of the fallen.

Please note, that this list reflects missions that are related to spacecraft and spaceflight; other Astronauts and Cosmonauts have fallen in training missions.