Soyuz 40

Mission Profile

Overview

Soyuz 40 carried Dumitru Prunariu to Salyut 6, making him the first — and to date only — Romanian citizen to fly in space, and the 103rd human in orbit. An aerospace engineer, Prunariu flew under Interkosmos with commander Leonid Popov, fresh from his record 185-day flight. Launched on 14 May 1981, they docked the next day with the resident EO-6 crew, Vladimir Kovalyonok and Viktor Savinykh. Over nearly eight days Prunariu carried out experiments in space medicine, biology, radiation physics and study of Earth's magnetic field, including the Romanian-designed Capilar and Astro experiments. Soyuz 40 holds a double historical distinction: it was the ninth and final flight of the first phase of Interkosmos, and the last flight of the venerable Soyuz 7K-T ferry and the last Soyuz to visit Salyut 6, closing an era of Soviet crewed spaceflight.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1981-05-14

   Launch from Baikonur at 17:16 UTC; Prunariu becomes the first Romanian in space

2. 1981-05-15

   Docking with Salyut 6, joining resident crew Vladimir Kovalyonok and Viktor Savinykh

3. 1981-05-16

   Romanian Capilar and Astro experiments and magnetic-field studies begin

4. 1981-05-22

   Undocking and landing ~225 km SE of Dzhezkazgan, ending the final Soyuz 7K-T flight

Key Achievements

• First and only Romanian citizen in space

• 103rd human being to fly in space

• Final flight of the first phase of the Interkosmos programme

• Last flight of the Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft and last Soyuz to dock with Salyut 6

Related Missions

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Soyuz 40
2. Romanian Space Agency (ROSA) — Prunariu anniversary