R-7 (rocket family)

The R-7 family of rockets (Russian: Р-7) is a series of rockets, derived from the Soviet R-7 Semyorka, the world's first ICBM. More R-7 rockets have been launched than any other family of large rockets.

History

When Soviet nuclear warheads got lighter, the R-7 turned out to be impractical as a ballistic missile. It was not necessary to launch such heavy payloads in a military application. The rockets remained useful in the Soviet and then Russian space programmes with long term development. The R-7 family consists of both missiles and orbital carrier rockets. Derivatives include the Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz rockets, which as of 2014 have been used for all Soviet, and later Russian manned spaceflights. The type has a unique configuration where four break-away liquid-fueled engines surround a central core. The core acts as, in effect, a "second stage" after the other four engines are jettisoned.

Later modifications were standardised around the Soyuz design. The Soyuz-U, Soyuz-FG and Soyuz-2 are currently in use. The Soyuz-U and FG are to be retired over the next few years, in favour of the Soyuz-2. R-7 rockets are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. A third launch site, at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, was to open in 2009 but the first Soyuz launch had been postponed several times. The first launch from Guiana Space centre took place on October 21, 2011. Guiana will be used primarily for commercial launches to geosynchronous orbit, taking advantage of the launch site's proximity to the equator.

Summary of variants

Name	GRAU index	Function	N° Core Stages*	Maiden flight	Final flight	Launches			Remarks
						Total	Success	Failure
R-7 Semyorka	8K71	ICBM	1	15 May 1957	27 February 1961	27	18	9	World's first ICBM
Sputnik-PS	8K71PS	Carrier rocket	1	4 October 1957	3 November 1957	2	2	0	World's first carrier rocket Launched Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2
Sputnik	8A91	Carrier rocket	1	27 April 1958	15 May 1958	2	1	1	Launched Sputnik 3
Luna	8K72	Carrier rocket	2	23 September 1958	16 April 1960	9	2	7	Launched first Lunar probes
R-7A Semyorka	8K74	ICBM	1	23 December 1959	25 July 1967	21	18	3
Vostok-L	8K72L	Carrier rocket	2	15 May 1960	1 December 1960	4	3	1
Molniya	8K78	Carrier rocket	3	20 January 1960	3 December 1965	26	12	14
Vostok-K	8K72K	Carrier rocket	2	22 December 1960	10 July 1964	13	11	2	Used for manned Vostok missions First rocket to launch a man into space
Molniya-L	8K78L	Carrier rocket	4	Unbuilt
Vostok-2	8A92	Carrier rocket	2	1 June 1962	12 May 1967	45	40	5
Polyot	11A59	Carrier rocket	1	1 November 1963	12 April 1964	2	2	0
Voskhod	11A57	Carrier rocket	2	16 November 1963	29 June 1976	300	277	23	Launched manned Voskhod 1 and Voskhod 2 missions
Molniya-M	8K78M	Carrier rocket	3	19 February 1964	30 September 2010	297	276	21
Vostok-2M	8A92M	Carrier rocket	2	28 August 1964	29 August 1991	94	92	2
Soyuz/Vostok	11A510	Carrier rocket	3	27 December 1965	20 July 1966	2	2	0
Soyuz	11A511	Carrier rocket	2	28 November 1966	24 May 1975	30	28	2	Launched several manned Soyuz missions
Soyuz-B	11K55	Carrier rocket	2	Unbuilt
Soyuz-V	11K56	Carrier rocket	2	Unbuilt
Soyuz-R	11A514	Carrier rocket	2	Unbuilt
Soyuz-L	11A511L	Carrier rocket	2	24 November 1970	12 August 1971	3	3	0
Soyuz-M	11A511M	Carrier rocket	2	27 December 1971	31 March 1976	8	8	0
Soyuz-U	11A511U	Carrier rocket	2	18 May 1973	Active	727	708	19	Single most launched carrier rocket ever built Used for a number of manned Soyuz launches
Soyuz-U2	11A511U2	Carrier rocket	2	23 December 1982	3 September 1995	92?	90?	2?	Used for a number of manned Soyuz launches
Soyuz-FG	11A511U-FG	Carrier rocket	2	20 May 2001	Active	29	29	0	Used for current manned Soyuz launches
Soyuz-2.1a	14A14A	Carrier rocket	2	8 November 2004	Active	8	7	1
Soyuz-2.1b	14A14B	Carrier rocket	2	27 December 2006	Active	7	6	1
Soyuz-2.1v	14A15	Carrier rocket	2	28 December 2013	Active	1	1	0
* Not including boosters

Korolev cross

Korolev cross observed during Soyuz TMA-12 launch.

The Korolev cross is a visual effect observed in the smoke plumes of the R-7 series rockets during separation of the four liquid-fueled booster rockets attached to the core stage. As the boosters fall away from the rocket, they pitch over symmetrically due to aerodynamic forces acting on them, forming a cross shape behind the rocket. The effect is named after Sergey Korolev, who designed the R-7. When the rocket is launched into clear skies, the effect can be seen from the ground at the launch site.

See also

• 1957 in spaceflight
• List of R-7 launches
• Comparison of orbital launchers families

External links

• Rocket R-7 from S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, a Russian rocket and space contractor