GIRD-9

ГИРД-09 Group for the Study of Reactive Motion Rocket 09

Mission Profile

The GIRD-9 (ГИРД-09, Group for the Study of Reactive Motion Rocket 09) was a single-stage Soviet experimental rocket, one of the earliest Soviet liquid-fuelled rockets and a pioneering achievement of Soviet rocketry. Standing just 2.4 m tall with a 0.2 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 19 kg, it was a tiny research vehicle. First flying in August 1933, the GIRD-9 was launched by Sergei Korolev's team near Moscow, establishing the foundations of the Soviet rocket programme that would ultimately lead to Sputnik and the Space Age.