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| A Soyuz 15 First Day Cover from "KNIGA", postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on October 18, 1974, signed by Gennadi Sarafanov and Lev Dyomin. |
Soyuz 15, launched on August 26, 1974, was a Soviet crewed mission to the Salyut 3 space station. The two-person crew consisted of Gennadi Sarafanov (Commander) and Lev Dyomin (Flight Engineer). It was the second crewed flight intended to visit Salyut 3, following the successful Soyuz 14 mission the previous month. Unlike Soyuz 14, however, Soyuz 15 was unable to dock with the station.
On August 27, Soyuz 15 approached Salyut 3 using the Igla automatic rendezvous and docking system. The spacecraft got very close to the station, but the Igla system developed serious problems during the final approach. With limited propellant and electrical power available on the Soyuz, repeated attempts to rendezvous were not practical. The crew therefore had to abandon the planned station mission and prepare for an early return to Earth.
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| A Soyuz 15 recovery cover, postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on August 28, 1974. |
Another problem appeared during preparations for reentry: gyroscope difficulties complicated the spacecraft's orientation for the deorbit maneuver. The crew nevertheless succeeded in returning safely. Soyuz 15 landed on August 28, 1974, after a flight lasting approximately 48 hours 12 minutes. It was notable as the first Soviet nighttime landing, and the landing occurred under difficult weather conditions, including a lightning storm.
