Soyuz-U from Baikonur Site 31 launched Kosmos 973, a Zenit-2M (Gektor) film-return photoreconnaissance satellite for the Soviet military, with a Nauka scientific module; the capsule was recovered after a short LEO imaging mission.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- LEO
- Low Earth orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 6 T (est.)
- Flight
- 86th
- of 714 Soyuz U flights
- Date and time
- 27 December 1977, 09:20 UTC
- Rocket
- Soyuz U
- Builder
- Progress RSC
- Launch site
- 31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
- Payload
- Government/Top Secret
- International designator
- 1977-124
- Launches in 1977
- 130th of 130
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas