this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2026
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And this was true for both sides of the 1960s Space Race.
Sputnik 1 was carried into space by the Soviet Sputnik rocket (an adaptation of the R-7 Semyorka Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) on October 4, 1957 source
Yuri Gagarin was carried into space on April 12, 1961, by a Vostok 8K72K rocket. The Vostok 8K72K was a three-stage liquid-fueled launch vehicle derived directly from the Soviet Union's R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) source
There was fierce competition inside the USSR for which rocket technology would be best used for weapons. The whole "exploration" or "civilian use" thing on both sides (USA/USSR) was just window dressing for weapons programs in space.