Salyut 2

OPS-1

Mission Profile

Salyut 2 (OPS-1, Almaz 1) was the Soviet Union's first military Almaz space station, launched on 3 April 1973 aboard a Proton-K as part of the classified military reconnaissance station program operated by the Soviet Air Force. The station was publicly designated Salyut 2 but was structurally distinct from the civilian Salyut stations, being based on Chelomei's heavier Almaz hull design. Just two weeks after launch, Salyut 2 suffered a catastrophic failure when its propulsion system exploded, depressurizing the hull and rendering the station unusable. It reentered the atmosphere on 28 May 1973 without ever being occupied, leaving the Almaz program's first operational mission a failure.