TKS (spacecraft)
| Applications | Crewed spacecraft to supply the military Almaz space station |
|---|---|
| Specifications | |
| Launch mass | 21,620 kg (47,660 lb) |
| Payload capacity | 12,600 kg (27,800 lb) |
| Crew capacity | 3 |
| Volume | 45 m3 (1,589 cu ft) |
| Power | 2.4 kW (avg.) |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Design life |
|
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 17.51 m (57 ft 5 in) |
| Diameter | 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) |
| Solar array span | 17 m (55 ft 9 in) |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Launch vehicle | Proton-K |
| Main engine | |
| Propellant mass | 3,822 kg (8,426 lb) |
| Maximum thrust | 7,840 N (1,760 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 291 s (2.85 km/s) |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| Configuration | |
Cutaway of TKS vehicle. Details are conjectural. The broad black line outlines the vehicle's pressurized compartments. A tunnel (stippled) connects the FGB and VA spacecraft | |
The TKS spacecraft (Russian: Транспортный корабль снабжения, Transportnyi Korabl’ Snabzheniia, lit. Transport Supply Spacecraft; GRAU index 11F72) was a Soviet spacecraft system developed in the late 1960s to deliver crew, cargo, and fuel to the military Almaz space stations. It consisted of two linked but independently operable parts: the VA spacecraft, a compact capsule for crew launch and re-entry, and the Functional Cargo Block (FGB), which provided cargo space, docking hardware, and the main orbital maneuvering engines. When the VA returned to earth, the FGB could be left behind at the station.
Although designed for both crewed and uncrewed flights, the TKS was never used operationally. Only four test missions were launched, three of which docked with civilian Salyut stations. The spacecraft’s lasting contribution was its FGB design, which became the basis for station modules used on Mir and the International Space Station.