# Vostok

> rocket family

**Wikidata**: [Q841262](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q841262)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_(rocket_family))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vostok-q841262

## Summary
Vostok is a Soviet expendable launch-vehicle family derived from the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile and produced by Energia; it lofted the first human-carrying spacecraft, Vostok 1, into orbit in 1961.

## Key Facts
- Sub-class of the R-7 rocket family; manufactured by S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia in the Soviet Union.
- Principal variants include Vostok-K (8K72K), Vostok-2 (8A92), and Vostok-2M (8A92M).
- First crewed launch: Vostok-K placed Yuri Gagarin’s Vostok 1 spacecraft in orbit on 12 April 1961.
- Country of origin: Soviet Union (verified via Wikidata reference Q328).
- Image file used across Wikimedia projects: “Vostok 8K72K in VDNKh (1).jpg”.
- Recognised aliases: Vostok 8K72K, Luna, Восток-2, Восток-К, Восток-2М, ボストークロケット, ヴォストークロケット, ルナロケット.
- Freebase identifier: /m/0231nc (retrieved 28 Oct 2013).
- Covered in 10 Wikipedia language editions; Wikidata sitelink count = 28.
- Related launch vehicles: Zenit-2; related missions: Vostok 1, Vostok 5, Vostok 6, Kosmos 4, Kosmos 7, Kosmos 12, Kosmos 44, Kosmos 100, Korabl-Sputnik 2.

## FAQs
### Q: What rocket family does Vostok belong to?
A: Vostok is a member of the R-7 rocket family, the same lineage that began as the Soviet R-7 Semyorka intercontinental ballistic missile.

### Q: Which Vostok variant carried the first human into space?
A: The Vostok-K (8K72K) version launched Vostok 1 with Yuri Gagarin aboard on 12 April 1961.

### Q: Are Vostok rockets still in service today?
A: Source material lists only historical variants; no current operational status is provided.

### Q: How is Vostok related to the Luna programme?
A: “Luna” appears among Vostok aliases, indicating shared hardware or naming, but no detailed programme link is supplied.

### Q: Where can I see a Vostok rocket on display?
A: A Vostok 8K72K is exhibited at VDNKh in Moscow, as shown in the Commons image referenced in the data.

## Why It Matters
Vostok transformed the Cold-War missile race into the foundation of human spaceflight. By adapting the R-7 ICBM, Soviet engineers created the first launcher proven safe enough to carry a person, proving that orbit-and-return missions were technically feasible. The success of Vostok 1 gave the USSR an early lead in the space race, reshaped geopolitical perceptions of technological power, and established design principles—such as the combination of a liquid-fuelled core and strap-on boosters—that still influence Russian launch vehicles today. Beyond its historic crewed flights, the Vostok family launched early reconnaissance and scientific satellites, demonstrating the versatility of the R-7 architecture and paving the way for subsequent Soyuz and Progress vehicles that service the International Space Station in the 21st century.

## Notable For
- First rocket family to launch a human into orbit (Vostok 1, 1961).
- Direct descendant of the world’s first ICBM, the R-7 Semyorka.
- Three main production variants (K, 2, 2M) optimised for different payload classes.
- Served both crewed space missions and early Kosmos reconnaissance satellites.
- Manufacturer: Energia, Russia’s oldest rocket and spacecraft design bureau.

## Body
### Origins and Design
Vostok evolved from Sergei Korolev’s R-7 Semyorka ICBM. Retaining the missile’s four conical boosters around a cylindrical core, engineers added a second-stage restart capability and an upgraded guidance system to create the 8K72K configuration, marketed as Vostok-K.

### Variants
- Vostok-K (8K72K): inaugural crew-rated version, 1960-1964.
- Vostok-2 (8A92): up-rated engines, 1962-1967.
- Vostok-2M (8A92M): stretched tanks for heavier payloads, 1964-1991.

### Launch Record
Source material lists individual missions (Vostok 1, 5, 6; Korabl-Sputnik 2; Kosmos 4, 7, 12, 44, 100) but does not provide a consolidated flight count or success rate.

### Legacy
Hardware improvements pioneered on Vostok transferred directly to the later Soyuz and Molniya launchers, keeping the basic R-7 architecture in service for more than six decades.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Vostok",
  "description": "Soviet expendable launch-vehicle family derived from the R-7 missile and used for the first human spaceflight.",
  "sameAs": ["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2298390", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_(rocket_family)"],
  "additionalType": "Rocket Family"
}

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013