Soyuz-V

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Soyuz-V, also known as Soyuz 11K or Soyuz-C in the West, was a proposed Soviet spacecraft designed as a fuel tanker. It would refuel other spacecraft, especially the Soyuz 9K orbital tug, as part of the Soyuz A-B-V plan for human circumlunar spaceflight.

How it would work:
- It would be launched into low Earth orbit by the Soyuz 11A511 carrier rocket.
- Once in orbit, it would dock with the NO docking module of a waiting Soyuz 9K and transfer about 7,000 kilograms (15,000 lb) of fuel to the tug.
- Up to three Soyuz 11K tankers could be launched per Soyuz 9K, each carrying propellant or oxidizer.
- The Soyuz 9K would use the extra fuel to boost a crewed Soyuz 7K or Soyuz 7K-P into a higher orbit; the 7K would undertake a circumlunar trajectory, while the 7K-P would be steered to a higher orbit to intercept or destroy another spacecraft.
- The 11K and the NO module would be jettisoned before the 9K’s burn.

Why it didn’t fly:
- The programs for the 7K and 7K-P were cancelled in 1964, and the Soyuz 9K and 11K were no longer required, so they were cancelled as well. No launches occurred.

Quick facts:
- Manufacturer: OKB-1
- Country: Soviet Union
- Status: Cancelled in 1964
- Launched: None