R7 Die erfolgreichste Rakete der Geschichte

Video from the channel TERA Raumfahrttechnik about R-7 Semyorka, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 14:29. Language: German. Video type: Documentary.

An educational video in German reviewing the Soviet family of R rockets, from the R-1 to the R-7 and its space-launch derivatives (Vostok, Voskhod, Molniya and Soyuz), along with several projects that were never built.

The story begins in 1945, when Soviet troops found remnants of V-2 production in Germany and brought back German specialists. The R-1 was a copy of the V-2 developed by Sergei Korolev. It was followed by the R-2, the R-5 and designs by German engineers, such as the G-1 and G-4, whose engine is considered the origin of the R-7's boosters.

According to the video, the R-7 Semyorka was the first intercontinental ballistic missile in history. It was developed from 1953, measured around 34 m, weighed 280 tonnes and had a range of 8,800 km with a 5.5 t thermonuclear warhead. It flew for the first time in 1957, entered service in 1960 and, in its improved R-7A version, remained in service as a missile until 1968. Its launch variant put Sputnik into orbit in 1957, and the version with an upper stage carried Yuri Gagarin into space. The Soyuz remains in service in numerous versions; among them, the 2.1a was the first Russian launcher with digital flight control.