| date | Event |
|---|
| February 10 | The Soviet automatic interplanetary station Mars-4 ( 06742 / 1973-047A ) flew past the planet Mars, passing at a distance of 2200 kilometers from its surface. The flight program provided for the launch of the station into orbit around Mars. However, due to a malfunction in one of the on-board systems, the braking propulsion system did not turn on and the station, passing the planet, entered a heliocentric orbit. |
| 12th of February | The Soviet automatic interplanetary station Mars-5 ( 06754 / 1973-049A ) was launched into orbit around Mars. |
| 9th of March | The Soviet automatic interplanetary station Mars-7 ( 06776 / 1973-053A ) flew past the planet Mars, passing at a distance of 1300 kilometers from its surface. When approaching the planet, a descent vehicle separated from the station ( 07224 / 1973-053E ). The flight program provided for the landing on the surface of Mars. However, due to a malfunction in one of the airborne systems, the lander passed the planet and entered the heliocentric orbit. |
| March 12 | The Soviet automatic interplanetary station Mars-6 ( 06768 / 1973-052A ) flew past the planet Mars, passing at a distance of 1600 kilometers from the surface of the planet. Immediately before the flight, a descent vehicle ( 07223 / 1973-052D ) was separated from the station. The descent vehicle entered the atmosphere of the planet and, at an altitude of about 20 kilometers, a parachute system was launched. In the immediate vicinity of the surface of the planet Mars, radio communications with the descent vehicle ceased. The descent vehicle reached the surface of the planet at a point with coordinates of 24 degrees. south latitude and 25 degrees. west longitude. |
| 12th of April | A solemn meeting dedicated to Cosmonautics Day was held in Moscow. |
| May 15 | A resolution was adopted by the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the cessation of work on the preparation and implementation of a manned expedition to the moon. |
| May 30 | The correction of the flight path of the Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Luna-22". |
| 2 June | Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Luna-22" put into orbit around the moon. The station’s orbit parameters were: the inclination of the orbit to the plane of the lunar equator - 19.3 degrees .; circulation period - 118 min .; minimum height above the lunar surface (at the pericenter) - 25 km; the maximum height above the lunar surface (in the apocenter) is 244 km. |
| 3 July | In Moscow, a protocol was signed to the Treaty between the USSR and the USA on limiting missile defense systems. |
| 5'th of July | The docking of the Soyuz-14 spacecraft and the Salyut-3 orbital station was completed. The astronauts went aboard the station and embarked on a flight program. |
| July 19 | 09:03. The undocking of the Soyuz-14 spacecraft and the Salyut-3 orbital station was completed. |
| July 19 | 12:21 in 140 kilometers south-east of the city of Dzhezkazgan landed the descent vehicle of the Soyuz-14 spacecraft. Cosmonauts Pavel Romanovich Popovich and Yuri Petrovich Artyukhin returned to Earth. The flight duration was 15 days 17 hours 30 minutes 28 seconds. |
| July 20 | The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted decrees on conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the title of USSR Pilot-Cosmonaut Yuri Petrovich Artyukhin, as well as a decree on awarding the Hero of the Soviet Union, USSR pilot-cosmonaut Pavel Romanovich Popovich the Order of Lenin and the second Gold Star medal. |
| 21 July | Published congratulations to the Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Kosygin to scientists, designers, engineers, technicians and workers, to all collectives and organizations involved in the preparation and implementation of the flight of the orbital scientific station “Salyut-3” and the transport ship “Soyuz-14”, astronauts Pavel Romanovich Popovich, Yuri Petrovich Artyukhin with the successful completion of the flight. |
| August 27 | An attempt was made to dock the Soyuz-15 spacecraft and the Salyut-3 orbital station. Due to a malfunction in the equipment for rendezvous and docking, the astronauts were unable to dock with the station. It was decided to interrupt the flight and land on Earth. |
| August 28 | At 20:10, 48 kilometers southwest of the city of Tselinograd, the descent vehicle of the Soyuz-15 spacecraft landed. Cosmonauts Gennady Vasilievich Sarafanov and Lev Stepanovich Demin returned to Earth. The flight duration was 2 days 12 minutes 11 seconds. Landing took place at night. |
| September 2 | The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted decrees on conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on pilot-cosmonauts Lev Stepanovich Demin and Gennady Vasilievich Sarafanov, as well as on conferring on them the title “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR”. |
| 23 September | From the Salyut-3 station, a return vehicle with research and experimental materials was separated. After turning on the propulsion system, the apparatus switched to the trajectory of descent to Earth. Before entering the dense layers of the atmosphere, a separation of the propulsion system occurred. Soft landing made on the territory of the USSR. |
| October 31 | The correction of the flight path of the Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Luna-23". |
| Nov. 1 | Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Luna-23" put into orbit around the moon. |
| November 6th | The Soviet automatic interplanetary station Luna-23 landed on the lunar surface in the southern part of the Crisis Sea. During the landing of the station, the soil intake device was damaged, which made it impossible to continue the flight program. It was decided to work with the station on an abbreviated program. |
| November 9 | Work with the Soviet automatic interplanetary station Luna-23 has been discontinued. |
| November 12 | On the territory of the USSR, the descent module of the Cosmos-690 biological satellite made a soft landing. Biological objects were returned to the Earth, on which the effect of radiation on living organisms was studied. The flight duration was 21 days. |
| December 8 | At 08:04. 300 kilometers north of the city of Dzhezkazgan, the descent vehicle of the Soyuz-16 spacecraft landed. Cosmonauts Anatoly Vasilievich Filipchenko and Nikolai Nikolaevich Rukavishnikov returned to Earth. The flight duration was 5 days 22 hours 23 minutes 35 seconds. |
| December 11th | The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted decrees on awarding Heroes of the Soviet Union, USSR pilot-cosmonauts Anatoly Vasilyevich Filipchenko and Nikolai Nikolayevich Rukavishnikov with the Order of Lenin and the second Golden Star medal. |
| December 28th | The Space Flight Control Center was put into operation in the city of Kaliningrad (now the city of Korolev, Moscow Region). |