Page "Salyut 6" Paragraph 2

Salyut 6, launched on a Proton 8K82K rocket on 29 September 1977, marked the switch from engineering development stations to routine operations, and united the most effective elements from each of the previous stations.

Its navigation system, made up of the Delta semi-automatic computer to depict the station's orbit and the Kaskad system to control its orientation, was based on that used on Salyut 4, as was its power system, which consisted of a trio of steerable solar panels together producing a peak of 4 kilowatts of power over 51 m².

The station's thermal regulation systems, which made use of a sophisticated arrangement of insulation and radiators, was also derived from that used on Salyut 4.

In addition, Salyut 6 made use of environmental systems first used on Salyut 3, and controlled its orientation using gyrodenes first tested on that station.