Soyuz 13

USSR

International Flight nº: 50

Earth orbit Flight nº: 48

USSR launch Flight nº: 20

Launch, orbit & landing data:

Designation	06982 / 73103A
Launch date - time	18 Dec 1973 - 11:55 UT
Launch site	Baikonur, LC1
Launch vehicle	Soyuz 11A511
OKB name - S/Nº	Soyuz 7K-T s/n 33A
Basic shape	Sphere-cylinder + 2 wings
Dimension (m)	7.5 long, 2.2 dia
Mass (kg)	6560
Flight Crew	Klimuk, Pyotr I. (CDR) Lebedev, Valentin V. (FE)
Call Sign	Kavkaz (Caucasus M.)
Backup crew	Vorobyov L., Yazdovski V.
Earth orbit on Dec 18.6:
- Perigee / Apogee	188 x 247 km
- Eccentricity	0.004
- Inclination	51.57°
- Period	88.80 min
Landing date - time	26 Dec 1973 - 08:50:35 UT
Landing location	49°N, 71°E 200km SW of Karaganda
Flight Duration (d:u:min)	7d 20h 55m 35s (7.87 days)
Nbr orbits	127

Flight Crew

Nr.	Surname	Given name	Job	Duration	Orbits
1	Klimuk	Pyotr Iliyich	Commander	7d 20h 56m	127
2	Lebedev	Valentin Vitaliyevich	Flight engineer	7d 20h 56m	127

Flight

Testflight of Soyuz spacecraft; biological explorations in view of later planned long-termed missions; the recovery of the capsule was problematic because of a snowstorm.
A unique flight of the 7K-T/AF modification of the Soyuz spacecraft. The main experiment carried was the "Orion 2" astrophysical observatory ("Orion 1" was carried aboard Salyut 1), the observatory obtained spectrograms of over 3000 stars, some as faint as the eleventh magnitude. The crew conducted astrophysical observations of stars in the ultraviolet range. Additional experiments included spectrozonal photography of specific areas of the earth's surface, and continued testing of space craft's on-board systems. Recovered December 26, 1973 8:50 GMT. Landed in snowstorm 200 km SW Karaganda.
After the Soyuz 11 disaster, the Soyuz underwent redesign for increased reliability. Two solo test flights of the new design were planned. The second mission would include installation of a large astrophyscial camera. Crews for the second mission, Soyuz-13, were first named in July 1973: Vorobyev/Yazdovskiy (Prime); Klimuk/Sevastyanov (Backup); Kovalenok/Ponomarev (Support). These assignments were changed a month later to: Vorobyev/Yazdovskiy(Prime); Klimuk/Ponomarev (Backup); Kovalenok/Sevastyanov (Support). They were again revised in September 1973 to Vorobyev/Yazdovskiy (Prime); Klimuk/Lebedev (Backup); Kovalenok/Ponomarev (Support). But just before launch Klimuk/Lebedev were named as the prime crew.
Maneuver Summary: 189km X 247km orbit to 186km X 255km orbit. Delta V: 2 m/s
186km X 255km orbit to 223km X 256km orbit. Delta V: 10 m/s
Total Delta V: 12 m/s.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Moscou.

Landing cancel Panevezio.

Landing cancel Moscou.

FDC Moscou, signed by Klimuk & Lebedev.

Ref.: #1,#2, #3(SD71), #7, #8, #16, #125, #206, #404 - update: 22.12.2025

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