Soviet Space Program Vostok-K Vostok 1
Vostok-K
Status
Success
Date
12 APR 1961
06:07
Mission Overview
The first crewed space launch & the first orbital launch. It carried the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who completed 1 orbit before safely re-entering the atmosphere, he ejected from his capsule at an altitude of 7 km in order to parachute safely to the ground. The mission lasted 108 minutes.
Rocket
Vostok-K
Mission Type
Human Exploration
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Stages
3
Livestream
Not availableRocket Details
The Vostok-K was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union for thirteen launches between 1960 and 1964, six of which were manned. The Vostok-K made its maiden flight on 22 December 1960, three weeks after the retirement of the Vostok-L. The third stage engine failed 425 seconds after launch, and the payload, a Korabl-Sputnik spacecraft, failed to reach orbit. The spacecraft was recovered after landing, and the two dogs aboard the spacecraft survived the flight. On 12 April 1961, a Vostok-K rocket was used to launch Vostok 1, the first manned spaceflight, which made Yuri Gagarin the first human to fly in space.
Height
30.84 m
Diameter
2.99 m
Launch Mass
280 T
Thrust
971 kN
