What was the name of the first space station?

The first space station was Salyut 1. The Soviet Union launched it into low Earth orbit on April 19, 1971, beginning the era of permanently inhabitable orbital laboratories.

Also known internally as DOS-1, Salyut 1 was designed for scientific research and experiments in space. It was visited by Soyuz 10 and Soyuz 11; the latter’s crew successfully docked and spent 23 days aboard, conducting observations and experiments. Salyut 1 remained in orbit for 175 days before being deliberately de-orbited on October 11, 1971.

A common mix-up is the International Space Station, which is far larger and remains operational, but construction began decades later. Skylab was the first American space station, launched in 1973, while Mir was a later Soviet station assembled beginning in 1986. Salyut 1 was the first station of any nation, although it was a relatively small, single-module design. Its engineering experience helped lead to the more advanced Mir and, ultimately, the International Space Station.