Soyuz 22 mission began on September 15, 1976, 09:48:30 UTC, launching Commander Yuri Malyshev and Flight Engineer Gennady Strekalov into orbit. The main objective of the mission was Earth observation and imaging, resulting in 2,400 photographs of 30 geographic areas. During their 7-day stay in orbit, crew also conducted several biological experiments. The mission concluded with a safe landing back on Earth on September 23, 1976, 07:40:47 UTC.