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| Voskhod (rocket) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Voskhod |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Function | Launch vehicle |
| Stages | 2–3 |
| Status | Retired |
| First | 1964 |
| Last | 1976 |
| Family | R-7 |
| Derivatives | Molniya, Soyuz |
Voskhod (rocket) The Voskhod launch vehicle was a Soviet expendable carrier rocket derived from the R-7 family and produced to support the Voskhod programme, Soviet space programme, and a range of military and civilian payloads during the 1960s and 1970s. Developed by Sergey Korolyov's design bureau OKB-1 and later managed by Glavkosmos and TsSKB-Progress, the Voskhod bridged early Sputnik era boosters and more capable Soyuz derivatives, offering adaptations for Vostok-era missions, multiple upper stages, and launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome and Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
The Voskhod emerged from technical evolution of the R-7 Semyorka intercontinental ballistic missile family and the work of lead designers including Sergey Korolyov, Vladimir Chelomey, and engineers at OKB-1, drawing on experience from Vostok, Molniya, and Soyuz projects. Its core design retained the R-7's four-booster clustered first stage with a central core derived from the R-7 family and employed existing components from the RD-107 and RD-108 engine series developed by Energomash teams led by Valentin Glushko and others. The vehicle integrated adaptations for payload fairings, guidance modifications from the 9K72 Luna lineage, and interface standards used by the Soviet Ministry of General Machine Building and satellite constructors like Lavochkin and TsSKB-Progress.
Multiple Voskhod variants were produced to support distinct missions, following a pattern similar to contemporaneous R-7 derivatives like Molniya-M and Soyuz-U. Significant versions included configurations with two-stage and three-stage stacks, upper stages such as the Blok I and custom Blok L types, and payload adaptions for spacecraft manufactured by OKB-1, Lavochkin, and NPO Lavochkin. Some Voskhod models were optimized for geostationary transfer to serve satellites built by NPO PM and Grozny, while others targeted low Earth orbit insertions used by reconnaissance builders like TsNII Kometa and communications producers like Gorizont teams.
Voskhod flew from principal launch sites including Baikonur Cosmodrome (Sites 1/5, 31/6) and Plesetsk Cosmodrome to deploy payloads for entities such as the Soviet Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence of the USSR, and scientific institutions like the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. The vehicle supported missions for the Voskhod programme crewed flights, uncrewed probes, and numerous satellites in civil programmes run by Glavkosmos and the State Commission. Throughout its service, Voskhod shared launch manifest timelines with contemporaries like Proton and Molniya while operating alongside test programs overseen by GKO-era committees and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Voskhod specifications reflected R-7 heritage: clustered strap-on boosters around a central core using RD-107 and RD-108 derivatives, guidance systems influenced by OKB-1 avionics that traced development from the Vostok and Soyuz series, and structural adaptations to accommodate varying payload shrouds from spacecraft designers including TsSKB-Progress and NPO Lavochkin. Typical performance metrics positioned payload capacity between early Vostok capacities and later Soyuz-U capabilities, with staging sequences comparable to R-7 operations and upper-stage burns using variants of Blok I propulsion and oxidizer feed systems similar to those in Molniya rockets.
Voskhod missions included crewed test launches for the Voskhod programme, multiple satellite insertions for Meteor-class weather payloads, communications satellites related to Gorizont efforts, scientific platforms for the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, and classified reconnaissance launches for agencies connected to the KGB and Soviet Armed Forces. Launch trajectories commonly departed from Baikonur Cosmodrome toward low Earth orbit inclinations used by Salyut-era stations and polar launches from Plesetsk Cosmodrome for military reconnaissance profiles. Mission planning involved participation by design bureaus such as OKB-1, Lavochkin, mission control at TsUP and range safety coordinated with ROSCOSMOS predecessors.
Voskhod's role in the progression of R-7 derivatives informed later successful launchers like Soyuz-U, Soyuz-FG, and export classifications used in international collaborations with agencies including ESA partners and clients serviced by Glavkosmos in later decades. The vehicle's engineering heritage contributed to sustained use of RD-107/RD-108 engine families, influenced orbital insertion practices employed during the Salyut programme and MIR precursor planning, and preserved manufacturing practices at facilities such as TsSKB-Progress and Khimik. As part of the R-7 lineage, Voskhod aided cross-program knowledge transfer among Soviet institutions like the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and production complexes that later became elements of the Russian Federal Space Agency.
Category:Soviet rockets