The spacecraft was designed for both crewed and autonomous uncrewed cargo resupply flights, but was never used operationally in its intended role – only four test missions were flown (including three that docked to Salyut space stations) during the program.

The VA spacecraft, on the other hand, was also intended to be launched as "Almaz APOS", mated with an Almaz-OPS space station core as the primary orbital maneuvering system, instead of an FGB.

[6] The TKS spacecraft consisted of an 11F74 "Vozvraschaemyi Apparat" (or Return Vehicle commonly referred to as the VA), attached to an 11F77 "Transportniy Korabl Snabzheniya" (Functional/Cargo Block module or FGB).

Operational TKS spacecraft would have delivered KSI film return capsules to Almaz stations.

[5] After separation and recovery of the VA capsule on 24 May 1981, the FGB docked on 19 June with Salyut 6, after 57 days of autonomous flight.

The landing systems, ECS, seats, and crewed controls were removed from the VA spacecraft, and instead other payload was installed: a high-resolution photo apparatus, an infrared telescope and the Ozon spectrometer.

The crew of Soyuz T-15 returned to Salyut 7 in May 1986, to conclude some of the experiments and ferry equipment to the then new Mir space station.

[5][10] Salyut 7 was moved to a higher orbit after that mission, while awaiting another "TKS" crew – there were even plans to return using the Buran shuttle.

The TKS design, which has never been flown crewed, has gone on to provide the basic structure for several later space-station components, such as: Two TKS/Almaz VA capsules were bought for commercial use by the private spaceflight company Excalibur Almaz.

As of 2014, one of those were auctioned for 1 million euro,[11] and the other was reportedly shipped away from the company's headquarters on Isle of Man in an undisclosed direction.