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Launch Vehicles

R-7 Semyorka

Soviet Union

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The world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, developed by Sergei Korolev's design bureau, and the direct ancestor of every Soyuz rocket flown since. A modified R-7 launched Sputnik 1 in October 1957 and, as Vostok-K, carried Yuri Gagarin on the first human spaceflight in April 1961.

Facts
Vehicle Class
Medium-lift expendable launch vehicle (ICBM-derived) 1
Manufacturer
OKB-1 (Korolev Design Bureau) 2
First Flight Date
1957-08-21 2
Date of the first successful R-7 missile test flight; the Sputnik-launching variant flew that October.
Status
Retired as an operational missile, but its core design lineage remains in continuous use through the modern Soyuz-2 launch vehicle, the longest-serving rocket family in history. 2
Stages
1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Includes

Soyuz-2, Launch Vehicles

The modern descendant of the R-7 design lineage, sharing its core airframe layout.

Operated By

Part Of

Soyuz, Spacecraft

Not a literal part; the R-7's core design lineage continues directly through every Soyuz-family launch vehicle.

Sources
1. Encyclopedia Astronautica
http://astronautix.com/r/r-7.html
Quote, http://astronautix.com/r/r-7.html
Russian intercontinental ballistic missile and launch vehicle series. The world's first ICBM and first orbital launch vehicle.
2. Wikipedia: Soviet space program
Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_program
Quote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_program
In 1957, it achieved the first intercontinental missile (R-7 "Semyorka"), orbital launch vehicle (Sputnik), artificial satellite (Sputnik 1), and animal in Earth orbit (Laika) the dog.
2. Wikipedia: Soviet space program
Wikimedia FoundationOperated By: Soviet space program
2. Wikipedia: Soviet space program
Wikimedia FoundationPart Of: Soyuz
2. Wikipedia: Soviet space program
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Soyuz-2
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