Soyuz 1

Soyuz 1 was the first crewed flight of the Soviet Union's Soyuz program. Launched on April 23, 1967, with cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov as the sole pilot, the mission was plagued by technical problems from the outset.

The spacecraft experienced issues with solar panel deployment, resulting in insufficient power. This led to the cancellation of a planned rendezvous with Soyuz 2, which was to carry a crew of three.

During reentry, the parachute system malfunctioned. The main parachute failed to deploy, and while the backup parachute did deploy, it became entangled with the drogue chute. This resulted in a near-uncontrolled descent, and Soyuz 1 crashed into the ground at high speed, killing Komarov.

The Soyuz 1 mission marked the first in-flight fatality in the history of space exploration. The subsequent investigation revealed numerous design flaws and quality control issues within the Soyuz program, leading to significant redesigns before further crewed missions were undertaken. The disaster highlighted the dangers and challenges inherent in early spaceflight and served as a sobering lesson for both the Soviet and American space programs.