Molniya 8K78 is a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and has four stages. R-7 with Sputnik 2 The R-7 Semyorka was the worlds first intercontinental ballistic missile and was deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War from 1959 to 1968. ...
This derivative of the original three stage Vostok rocket was especially designed to bring high flying satellites into orbit or to launch probes to other planets. The first launch of this rocket was on October 10 in 1960 from Baikonur. It was used in the 1960's to launch all space probes to Moon, Mars and Venus. The Vostok rocket (Russian ВоÑток, translated as East) was a derivative of the Soviet R-7 ICBM designed for the human spaceflight programme but later used for other satellite launches. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... Baikonur (formerly Leninsk) is a city in Kazakhstan administered by Russia. ...
Liftoff from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome came at 9:53 p.m.
The satellite's orbit allows it to "hover" over a particular point on Earth while the spacecraft nears and returns from its farthest distance from the planet.
This is the first launch of the Soyuz family of rockets from Russia's northern launch site of Plesetsk since an Oct. 15, 2002 mishap in which a Soyuz booster exploded after lift off, killing one soldier on the ground.
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