The Salyut Program was a series of Soviet space missions that began in the 1970s, aimed at developing and testing space stations. The program included several space stations, with the first, Salyut 1, launched in 1971. These stations were used for scientific research, military reconnaissance, and to advance human spaceflight capabilities. Over the course of the program, a total of nine Salyut stations were launched, with some being used for long-duration missions. The program laid the groundwork for future space station projects, including the more advanced Mir and the International Space Station (ISS), contributing significantly to our understanding of living and working in space.