Salyut 7 was a space station in low Earth orbit from April 1982 to February 1991. It was first crewed in May 1982 with two crew via Soyuz T-5, and last visited in June 1986, by Soyuz T-15. Various crew and modules were used over its lifetime, including 12 crewed and 15 uncrewed launches in total. Supporting spacecraft included the Soyuz T, Progress, and TKS spacecraft.
Salyut 7 photographed by Soyuz T-13 crew before docking, 25 September 1985
Salyut 7 during assembly.
Salyut 7 with docked spacecraft
Salyut-7 with Kosmos1686 and Soyuz T-15 docked, truss extended May 31, 1986
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in outer space for an extended period of time and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station is an artificial satellite. Stations must have docking ports to allow other spacecraft to dock to transfer crew and supplies. The purpose of maintaining an orbital outpost varies depending on the program. Space stations have most often been launched for scientific purposes, but military launches have also occurred.
Gemini 8 Agena target vehicle
Gemini 8 docking with the Agena in March 1966
The U.S. Skylab station of the 1970s
Mir station seen in 1998