Sputnik (rocket)
The Sputnik rocket was an uncrewed orbital carrier rocket designed by Sergei Korolev in the Soviet Union, derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM. On 4 October 1957, it was used to perform the world's first satellite launch, placing Sputnik 1 into a low Earth orbit.
Sputnik rocket | |
| Function | Early (first) carrier rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Country of origin | USSR |
| Size | |
| Height | 8K71PS: 30.0 m (98.4 ft) 8A91: 31.1 m (102 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.99 m (9.8 ft) |
| Mass | 8K71PS: 267,000 kg (589,000 lb) 8A91: 269,300 kg (593,700 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO (8K71PS) | |
| Mass | 8K71PS: 500 kg (1,100 lb) 8A91: 1,327 kg (2,926 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | R-7 |
| Comparable | Vanguard Juno I |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | LC-1/5, Baikonur |
| Total launches | 4 (2 8K71PS, 2 8A91) |
| Success(es) | 3 |
| Failure(s) | 1 (8A91) |
| First flight | 8K71PS: 4 October 1957 8A91: 27 April 1958 |
| Last flight | 8K71PS: 3 November 1957 8A91: 15 May 1958 |
| Type of passengers/cargo | Sputnik 1 Sputnik 2 Sputnik 3 |
| Boosters (Block B, V, G, D) | |
| No. boosters | 4 |
| Powered by | 1 RD-107 |
| Maximum thrust | 970 kN (220,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 306 s |
| Burn time | 120 s |
| Propellant | LOX/Kerosene |
| First stage (Block A) | |
| Powered by | 1 RD-108 |
| Maximum thrust | 912 kN (205,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 308 s |
| Burn time | 330 s |
| Propellant | LOX/Kerosene |
Two versions of the Sputnik were built, the Sputnik-PS (GRAU index 8K71PS), which was used to launch Sputnik 1 and later Sputnik 2, and the Sputnik (8A91), which failed to launch a satellite in April 1958, and subsequently launched Sputnik 3 on 15 May 1958.
A later member of the R-7 family, the Polyot, used the same configuration as the Sputnik rocket, but was constructed from Voskhod components. Because of the similarity, the Polyot was sometimes known as the Sputnik 11A59.
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