R-7 Semyorka version
R-7 Semyorka Sputnik (8K71PS)
The R-7 missile stripped of everything superfluous to put the first artificial satellite into orbit. At 30 m tall and 267,000 kg at lift-off, it could place 500 kg into low Earth orbit. It flew twice, in October and November 1957, and both flights made history.
- October 4, 1957
- First launch
- 500 kg
- LEO capacity
- No
- Reusable
History
The rocket of the Space Race
The 8K71PS — «PS» for prosteyshiy sputnik, simplest satellite — was a hurried modification of the R-7 missile prepared when the planned scientific satellite fell behind schedule. Military equipment was removed to save mass and no upper stage was added: the core itself reached orbital velocity.
Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2
On 4 October 1957 it lifted off from Baikonur and placed Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite in history, into orbit. On 3 November it repeated the feat with Sputnik 2, carrying the dog Laika, the first living creature to orbit the Earth. Those were its only two flights, both successful.
Legacy
The 8K71PS proved that the R-7 — mediocre as a weapon because of its preparation time and cryogenic oxidiser — was an outstanding space launcher thanks to the payload capacity demanded by heavy Soviet warheads. The whole family grew from that realisation: Luna, Vostok, Voskhod, Molniya and finally Soyuz.