Almaz

The Almaz () program was a highly secret Soviet military space station program, begun in the early 1960s.
Three crewed military reconnaissance stations were launched between 1973 and 1976: Salyut 2, Salyut 3 and Salyut 5.
To cover the military nature of the program, the three launched Almaz stations were designated as civilian Salyut space stations.
Salyut 2 failed shortly after achieving orbit, but Salyut 3 and Salyut 5 both conducted successful crewed testing.
Following Salyut 5, the Soviet Ministry... more