# Canonical recap data for Soyuz-Apollo Test Project (1975)
# Source: https://recap.at/1975/soyuz-apollo-1975
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: soyuz-apollo-1975
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1975/soyuz-apollo-1975"
title: Soyuz-Apollo Test Project
aliases:
- Apollo–Soyuz
- ASTP
- Handshake in Space
- Soyuz 7K-TM No. 5
subtitle: The docking of Soviet and American spacecraft symbolized Cold War détente and inaugurated sustained space cooperation.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1975-07-15
endDate: 1975-07-24
datePrecision: day
year: 1975
decade: 1970
country:
name: Soviet Union
slug: soviet-union
summaryShort: Apollo–Soyuz was the first crewed international space mission, conducted jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in July 1975. Millions watched on television as an American Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule. The mission and its symbolic "handshake in space" became an emblem of détente durin
summaryLong: Apollo–Soyuz was the first crewed international space mission, conducted jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in July 1975. Millions watched on television as an American Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule. The mission and its symbolic "handshake in space" became an emblem of détente during the Cold War.
lede: On July 17, 1975, an American Apollo spacecraft and a Soviet Soyuz capsule docked in orbit, marking the first crewed mission where the two Cold War superpowers worked together in space. Astronauts Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand, and cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Oleg Makarov met face-to-face 140 miles above Earth. The symbolic rendezvous signaled a thaw in superpower tensions and proved that even rivals could cooperate on humanity's largest stage.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/ASTP_patch.png/1280px-ASTP_patch.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Apollo–Soyuz"
importance: 79
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Launch date
  value: July 15, 1975
- label: Docking date and time
  value: "July 17, 1975, 12:12 PM UTC"
- label: Orbital altitude at docking
  value: 140 nautical miles
- label: Docking duration
  value: 47 hours 46 minutes
- label: American crew
  value: Thomas Stafford (commander), Vance Brand (Command Module pilot), Deke Slayton (Docking Module pilot)
- label: Soviet crew
  value: Alexei Leonov (commander), Oleg Makarov (flight engineer)
- label: Mission duration (Apollo)
  value: 9 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes
- label: Television audience
  value: Over 1 billion viewers globally
timeline:
- date: 1972-05-29
  title: Agreement signed
  description: U.S. and Soviet Union sign the agreement to conduct Apollo–Soyuz Test Project during Nixon's Moscow summit.
- date: 1975-07-15
  title: Both spacecraft launch
  description: "Soyuz 7K-TM launches from Baikonur at 15:20 UTC. Apollo launches from Kennedy Space Center at 13:50 UTC the same day."
- date: 1975-07-17
  title: Docking achieved
  description: "Apollo and Soyuz dock at 12:12 PM UTC after Stafford and Slayton maneuver the Docking Module through the final approach. Hatch opens at 17:17 UTC."
- date: 1975-07-17
  title: First handshake in space
  description: Leonov and Stafford shake hands through the open hatch, broadcast live to global television audience. Slayton and Makarov follow.
- date: 1975-07-19
  title: Joint airlock transfer
  description: All five crew members meet in the Docking Module for joint experiments and symbolic dinner, conducting joint science operations.
- date: 1975-07-21
  title: Undocking
  description: Apollo and Soyuz separate after 47 hours 46 minutes docked. Both crews continue independent orbital operations.
- date: 1975-07-24
  title: Apollo splash down
  description: Apollo Command Module returns to Earth in the Pacific Ocean. Recovery completed near Hawaii.
- date: 1975-07-26
  title: Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan
  description: Soyuz 7K-TM lands safely in the Arkalyk region. All crew members return in good health.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz"
  title: Soyuz-Apollo Test Project
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Apollo–Soyuz mission demonstrated that space exploration could transcend geopolitical conflict, establishing a precedent for international cooperation that would shape orbital programs for decades. The docking itself was a technical marvel—two spacecraft built on incompatible standards had to rendezvous and seal without error. The mission's success bought political capital for détente at precisely the moment it was needed most.
categories:
- tech-launch
- launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- space_mission
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- exchange
- discovery
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: How Apollo and Soyuz docked in orbit in 1975, ending the space race and opening an era of Cold War cooperation.
wikidataQid: Q208759
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: U.S. and Soviet Spacecraft Link Up in Historic Rendezvous
  publishedAt: 1975-07-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Apollo and Soyuz docked in orbit over the Atlantic, marking the first crewed international spaceflight and a dramatic Cold War thaw. The two spacecraft, carrying American and Soviet cosmonauts, locked together as millions watched live on television.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: TASS (Soviet News Agency)
  publisherSlug: tass
  headline: Istoricheskaya vstrecha v kosmose - Sovetskii i amerikanskii korabli sopryazhlisy
  publishedAt: 1975-07-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: "TASS: 'Istoricheskaya vstrecha v kosmose - Sovetskii i amerikanskii korabli sopryazhlisy' / EN: 'Historic Meeting in Space - Soviet and American Vessels Link Up'. The docking demonstrated the peaceful uses of space exploration and the possibility of Soviet-American cooperation beyond terrestrial Cold War tensions."
  significance: 91
  type: newspaper
  region: Soviet Union
- publisher: Time Magazine
  publisherSlug: time-magazine
  headline: A Handshake 225 Miles High
  publishedAt: 1975-07-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Time's cover story captured the symbolic weight of the Apollo-Soyuz docking as détente made tangible. The magazine noted that for the first time, American and Soviet crews embraced in the vacuum of space, turning Cold War rivals into collaborative partners.
  significance: 89
  type: magazine
  region: United States
- publisher: BBC Television
  publisherSlug: bbc-television
  headline: Apollo and Soyuz Meet in Space - Live Coverage
  publishedAt: 1975-07-17
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The BBC broadcast live as the two spacecraft docked, with commentators hailing the event as a watershed moment in space exploration and international relations. British audiences witnessed the culmination of years of secret negotiations between superpowers.
  significance: 88
  type: tv
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Pravda
  publisherSlug: pravda
  headline: Triumpfalnaya mashina sovetskoi nauki
  publishedAt: 1975-07-19
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: "Pravda: 'Triumpfalnaya mashina sovetskoi nauki' / EN: 'Triumph of Soviet Science'. The official Soviet newspaper emphasized Soviet technological achievement and Leonov's role in the historic docking, framing the mission as validation of the Soviet space program's superiority and commitment to peaceful exploration."
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Soviet Union
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260530041318/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-30
  label: Soyuz-Apollo Test Project
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz"
