Molniya-M Blok VL

8K78M

Mission Profile

The Molniya-M Blok VL (8K78M) was a four-stage Soviet launch vehicle in the R-7 family, the standard production Molniya-M with a Blok VL upper stage for Molniya-orbit communications satellite deployment. Standing 43.4 m tall with a 3 m core diameter and a liftoff mass of 305 tonnes, it generated 4,070 kN of liftoff thrust. First flying in June 1967, the Molniya-M Blok VL became the workhorse for deploying the Molniya communications satellite constellation into highly elliptical orbits, operating for over four decades.