The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project completed the world’s first international space rendezvous.
Two days after a successful joint launch, the American Apollo and Soviet Soyuz Spacecraft made headlines when they met in space and successfully docked with each other in Earth’s orbit. Within two hours of docking, the captains of each spacecraft met and exchanged the first international handshake in space. The meeting of the two spacecraft, which was widely televised, preceded two days of joint activities and experiments involving the former rivals. This monumental event is largely considered the final event in the Space Race.