Vostok-K

8K72K Vostok Launcher

Mission Profile

The Vostok-K (8K72K, Vostok Launcher) was a three-stage Soviet launch vehicle in the R-7 family, the rocket that launched Yuri Gagarin and the first human spaceflights into orbit. Standing 38.4 m tall with a 3 m core diameter and a liftoff mass of 287 tonnes, it generated 3,990 kN of liftoff thrust and could deliver 4,730 kg to low Earth orbit. First flying in December 1960, the Vostok-K launched all six Vostok crewed missions from 1961 to 1963, making it the vehicle that opened the era of human spaceflight.