Soyuz 4 (Russian: Союз 4, Union 4) was launched on 14 January 1969, carrying cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov on his first flight.

Mid-winter in Kazakhstan brought about frigid conditions despite the moderate latitude of 45N and personnel accommodations at the launch center were poorly heated and insulated.

The launch was called off and the cosmonauts got out and had to wait for the problem to be fixed--it had been only two years since the disastrous on-pad explosion of a Soyuz booster from a gyroscope issue and the memory of that was still fresh.

The exact problem with the gyroscope was unclear and could not be reproduced during ground tests, but may have been due to ice formation on a pad umbilical inhibiting electrical contact.

Investigation of the gyroscope issue concluded that it was probably a malfunction of the ground support equipment at the cosmodrome, most of which had been in use since the Vostok program began nine years ago and was badly worn and in need of replacement.

There was momentary concern that the launch escape system would not function properly due to the extreme cold as its solid rocket motor was certified to work down to -15C (5F).

Aboard Soyuz 5, Yevgeny Khrunov and Aleksei Yeliseyev immediately began preparing for their extravehicular activity (EVA).

The crew were to meet Leonid Brezhnev during a lavish ceremony at the Kremlin, but this was prevented by an attempted assassination of the Soviet leader.

A man shot eight times at the motorcade but aimed at the car containing Georgy Beregovoy, Alexei Leonov, Andriyan Nikolayev, and Valentina Tereshkova.

Khrunov and Yeliseyev put on their Yastreb ("hawk") suits in the Soyuz 5 orbital module with aid from commander Boris Volynov.

The Yastreb had a regenerative life support system in a rectangular white metal box placed on the chest and abdomen to facilitate movement through the Soyuz's hatchways.

Khrunov went out first, transferring to the Soyuz 4 orbital module while the docked spacecraft were over South America, out of radio contact with the Soviet Union.