DEATH OF SOVIET COSMONAUT KOMAROV

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03171204
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2018
• Case Number: F-2018-00879
• Publication Date: April 24, 1967

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
24 April 1967
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
Death of Soviet Cosmonaut Komarov
1. Colonel Vladimir Komarov, the single cosmonaut
aboard Soyuz-1, died this morning during the landing of
his spacecraft, according to Moscow television and radio
broadcasts. The announcements state that the spacecraft
became fouled in the rigging of the main parachute at an
altitude of about 4 miles, causing the capsule to plummet
to earth. Komarov presumably died on impact.
. We have no confirmation of the Soviet announcements
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Shortly before
Soyuz-1 re-entered the atmosphere, Komarov reported to the
ground: "The engine fired for 146 seconds. The ship was
oriented correctly. Everything is okay." The Soviet
statements that Komarov died during the landing are therefore
probably correct.
3. Komarov encountered persistent difficulties
throughout his flight with his stabilization system,
communications, and power supplies, and there was an
unsuccessful attempt to deorbit automatically on revolution
16. Komarov was then instructed to perform a manual
deorbit on revolution 18.
4. Soyuz-1 was the first manned flight of a new
spacecraft which had been tested twice since last November
without a crew. During the two unmanned flights the
capsule performed some small maneuvers, indicating that
it is intended for rendezvous and docking operations, but
no maneuvers were detected during Komarov's flight. Komarov's
communications with the ground indicated that Soyuz-1 had
three seats--two of them unoccupied for this flight.
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it 5. It is possible that the planned mission of
Soyuz-1 called for complex maneuvers and the launching of
a second spacecraft, but that these did not take place be-
cause of the technical problems encountered.
6. Soyuz-1 was orbited by the standard Soviet space
booster and weighed about 15,000 pounds. Contrary to some
Western press reports it was not boosted into orbit by the
more powerful "Proton" booster which the Soviets have used
recently for test flights of what is probably a new space
propulsion system.
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