After previous engineering tests with the Salyut 6 and Salyut 7 space stations (and temporarily attached TKS-derived space station modules like Kosmos 1267, Kosmos 1443 and Kosmos 1686) it became the first space station module to be attached semi-permanently to the first modular space station in the history of space flight. Kvant-1 was originally planned to be docked to the Salyut 7 space station, the plans however evolved to launch to Mir, initially considered on board the Soviet Buran space shuttle, which finally changed to a launch to Mir by the Proton-K rocket.