Sputnik-PS

8K71PS Sputnik 1 Launcher

Mission Profile

The Sputnik-PS (8K71PS, Sputnik 1 Launcher) was a two-stage Soviet launch vehicle in the R-7 family, a modified R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile that launched the world's first artificial satellite. Standing 29.2 m tall with a 3 m core diameter and a liftoff mass of 267 tonnes, it generated 3,900 kN of liftoff thrust and could deliver 1,327 kg to low Earth orbit. First flying on 4 October 1957, the Sputnik-PS placed Sputnik 1 into orbit, inaugurating the Space Age and triggering the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States.