The R-7 family of rockets is a series of rockets, derived from the Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 R-7 Semyorka

R-7 Semyorka

The R-7 was a Soviet missile developed during the Cold War, and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. The R-7 made 28 launches between 1957 and 1961, but was never deployed operationally. A derivative, the R-7A, was deployed from 1960 to 1968...

, the world's first ICBM. More R-7 rockets have been launched than any other family of large rockets.

The R-7

R-7 Semyorka

The R-7 was a Soviet missile developed during the Cold War, and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. The R-7 made 28 launches between 1957 and 1961, but was never deployed operationally. A derivative, the R-7A, was deployed from 1960 to 1968...

 turned out to be impractical as a ballistic missile, but found a long application in the Soviet and then Russian space programmes. The R-7 family consists of both missiles, and orbital carrier rockets. Derivatives include the Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz

Soyuz (rocket)

The Soyuz was a Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed by OKB-1 and manufactured by State Aviation Plant No. 1 in Samara, Russia. It was used to launch Soyuz spacecraft as part of the Soyuz programme, initially on unmanned test flights, followed by the first 19 manned launches of the...

 rockets, which have been used for all Soviet, and later Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n manned spaceflights

Later modifications were standardised around the Soyuz design. The Soyuz-U

Soyuz-U

The Soyuz-U launch vehicle is an improved version of the original Soyuz LV. Soyuz-U is part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia....

, Soyuz-FG

Soyuz-FG

The Soyuz-FG launch vehicle is an improved version of the Soyuz-U, from the R-7 family of rockets, designed and constructed by TsSKB-Progress in Samara...

 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

Baikonur Cosmodrome

The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...

 and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport, located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200 km south of Arkhangelsk.-Overview:...

. A third launch site, at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana

French Guiana

French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...

, was to open in 2009 but the first Soyuz launch has been postponed several times. The current target date for the first Soyuz-2 launch from Guiana Space centre is October 2011. This will be used primarily for commercial launches to geosynchronous orbit

Geosynchronous orbit

A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period...

, taking advantage of the launch site's proximity to the equator

Equator

An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....

.

As of 2011, every manned Russian or Soviet spaceflight has been launched by an R-7 family rocket.

Summary of variants

Name	GRAU Grau Grau is a German word meaning "gray" and a Catalan word meaning "grade". It may refer to:* BAP Almirante Grau , a De Zeven Provinciën class cruiser in service with the Peruvian Navy* Grau Käse, Tyrolean grey cheese... index	Function	N° Core Stages*	Maiden flight	Final flight	Launches			Remarks
						Total	Success	Failure
R-7 Semyorka R-7 Semyorka The R-7 was a Soviet missile developed during the Cold War, and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. The R-7 made 28 launches between 1957 and 1961, but was never deployed operationally. A derivative, the R-7A, was deployed from 1960 to 1968...	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 Sputnik 1 Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...  and Sputnik 2 Sputnik 2 Sputnik 2 , or Prosteyshiy Sputnik 2 ), was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on November 3, 1957, and the first to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika. Sputnik 2 was a 4-meter high cone-shaped capsule with a base diameter of 2 meters...
Sputnik	8A91	Carrier rocket	1	27 April 1958	15 May 1958	2	1	1	Launched Sputnik 3 Sputnik 3 Sputnik 3 was a Soviet satellite launched on May 15, 1958 from Baikonur cosmodrome by a modified R-7/SS-6 ICBM. It was a research satellite to explore the upper atmosphere and the near space, and carried a large array of instruments for geophysical research....
Luna Luna (rocket) The Luna 8K72 vehicles were carrier rockets used by the Soviet Union for nine space probe launch attempts in the Luna programme between 1958-09-23 and 1960-04-16...	8K72	Carrier rocket	2	23 September 1958	16 April 1960	9	2	7	Launched first Lunar probes Exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the...
R-7A Semyorka R-7A Semyorka The R-7A Semyorka, GRAU index 8K74, was an early Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile derived from the earlier R-7 Semyorka. It was the only member of the R-7 family of rockets to be deployed as an operational missile. The R-7A first flew on 23 December 1959, entered service on 31 December of...	8K74	ICBM	1	23 December 1959	25 July 1967	21	18	3
Vostok-L Vostok-L The Vostok-L , GRAU index 8K72 was a rocket used by the Soviet Union to conduct several early tests of the Vostok spacecraft. It was derived from the Luna rocket, with a slightly enlarged second stage to accommodate the larger payload, and was a member of the R-7 family of rockets...	8K72L	Carrier rocket	2	15 May 1960	1 December 1960	4	3	1
Molniya Molniya (rocket) Molniya 8K78 was a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and had four stages.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...	8K78	Carrier rocket	3	20 January 1960	3 December 1965	26	12	14
Vostok-K Vostok-K The Vostok-K , GRAU index 8K72K was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union for thirteen launches between 1960 and 1964, six of which were manned. It was derived from the earlier Vostok-L, however it featured uprated engines to improve performance, and enlarge its payload capacity...	8K72K	Carrier rocket	2	22 December 1960	10 July 1964	13	11	2	Used for manned Vostok Vostok programme The Vostok programme was a Soviet human spaceflight project that succeeded in putting a person into Earth's orbit for the first time. The programme developed the Vostok spacecraft from the Zenit spy satellite project and adapted the Vostok rocket from an existing ICBM design...  missions First rocket to launch a man into space
Molniya-L Molniya (rocket) Molniya 8K78 was a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and had four stages.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...	8K78L	Carrier rocket	4	Unbuilt
Vostok-2 Vostok-2 (rocket) The Vostok-2 , GRAU index 8A92 was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union between 1962 and 1967. Forty five were launched, of which five failed. It was derived from the earlier Vostok-K, with uprated engines. It was a member of the R-7 family of rockets.The Vostok-2 made its maiden...	8A92	Carrier rocket	2	1 June 1962	12 May 1967	45	40	5
Polyot Polyot (rocket) The Polyot was an interim orbital carrier rocket, built to test ASAT spacecraft. It was required as a stopgap after the cancellation of the UR-200 programme, but before the Tsyklon could enter service. Only two were ever launched, the first on 1 November 1963, and the last on 12 April 1964...	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 Voskhod 1 Voskhod 1 was the seventh manned Soviet space flight. It achieved a number of "firsts" in the history of manned spaceflight, being the first space flight to carry more than one crewman into orbit, the first flight without the use of spacesuits, and the first to carry either an engineer or a...  and Voskhod 2 Voskhod 2 Voskhod 2 was a Soviet manned space mission in March 1965. Vostok-based Voskhod 3KD spacecraft with two crew members on board, Pavel Belyaev and Alexei Leonov, was equipped with an inflatable airlock...  missions
Molniya-M Molniya-M The Molniya-M , designation 8K78M, was a Russian carrier rocket derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM. First launched in 1964, it had replaced its predecessor, Molniya, by the end of 1965...	8K78M	Carrier rocket	3	19 February 1964	30 September 2010	297	276	21
Vostok-2M Vostok-2M The Vostok-2M , GRAU index 8A92M was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union between 1964 and 1991. Ninety-three were launched, of which one failed. Another was destroyed before launch. It was originally built as a specialised version of the earlier Vostok-2, for injecting lighter...	8A92M	Carrier rocket	2	28 August 1964	29 August 1991	94	92	2
Soyuz/Vostok Soyuz/Vostok The Soyuz/Vostok, also known as just Soyuz or Vostok, or by its GRAU index, 11A510 was an interim expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union in 1965 and 1966. Two were launched with prototype US-A satellites....	11A510	Carrier rocket	3	27 December 1965	20 July 1966	2	2	0
Soyuz Soyuz (rocket) The Soyuz was a Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed by OKB-1 and manufactured by State Aviation Plant No. 1 in Samara, Russia. It was used to launch Soyuz spacecraft as part of the Soyuz programme, initially on unmanned test flights, followed by the first 19 manned launches of the...	11A511	Carrier rocket	2	28 November 1966	24 May 1975	30	28	2	Launched several manned Soyuz Soyuz programme The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme that was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon...  missions
Soyuz-B	11K55	Carrier rocket	2	Unbuilt
Soyuz-V	11K56	Carrier rocket	2	Unbuilt
Soyuz-R	11A514	Carrier rocket	2	Unbuilt
Soyuz-L Soyuz-L The Soyuz-L , GRAU index 11A511L was a Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed by OKB-1 and manufactured by State Aviation Plant No. 1 in Samara, Russia. It was used for tests of the LK Lunar lander in low Earth orbit, as part of the Soviet lunar programme.The Soyuz-L was essentially a two stage...	11A511L	Carrier rocket	2	24 November 1970	12 August 1971	3	3	0
Soyuz-M Soyuz-M The Soyuz-M , GRAU index 11A511M was a Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed by OKB-1 and manufactured by State Aviation Plant No. 1 in Samara, Russia. It was originally built to launch manned Soyuz 7K-VI spacecraft for the Soviet armed forces. Following the cancellation of this programme,...	11A511M	Carrier rocket	2	27 December 1971	31 March 1976	8	8	0
Soyuz-U Soyuz-U The Soyuz-U launch vehicle is an improved version of the original Soyuz LV. Soyuz-U is part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia....	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 Soyuz programme The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme that was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon...  launches
Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-U2 The Soyuz-U2 was a Soviet, later Russian, carrier rocket. It was derived from the Soyuz-U, and a member of the R-7 family of rockets...	11A511U2	Carrier rocket	2	23 December 1982	3 September 1995	92?	90?	2?	Used for a number of manned Soyuz Soyuz programme The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme that was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon...  launches
Soyuz-FG Soyuz-FG The Soyuz-FG launch vehicle is an improved version of the Soyuz-U, from the R-7 family of rockets, designed and constructed by TsSKB-Progress in Samara...	11A511U-FG	Carrier rocket	2	20 May 2001	Active	29	29	0	Used for current manned Soyuz Soyuz programme The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme that was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon...  launches
Soyuz-2.1a	14A14A	Carrier rocket	2	8 November 2004	Active	4	3	1
Soyuz-2.1b	14A14B	Carrier rocket	2	27 December 2006	Active	3	3	0
* Not including boosters

Korolev cross

The Korolev cross is a visual effect observed in the smoke plumes of the R-7 series rockets during separation of the four liquid-fuelled 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.