Voskhod (rocket)

The Voskhod rocket (Russian: Восход, meaning "Sunrise") was a Soviet expendable carrier rocket derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM. It was designed and manufactured by TsSKB-Progress in Kuybyshev (now Samara, Russia). The Voskhod rocket was primarily used to launch crewed Voskhod spacecraft, but also launched various Kosmos satellites.

The rocket was essentially a modified version of the earlier Vostok rocket, itself derived from the R-7. The primary modifications involved increasing the payload capacity to accommodate the heavier Voskhod spacecraft. These modifications included the use of a more powerful upper stage and improvements to the engine.

The Voskhod rocket consisted of a central core stage and four strap-on boosters, all fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene. It was a two-stage rocket. The launch vehicle had a good reliability record, with relatively few failures during its operational lifespan.

A total of 30 Voskhod rockets were launched between 1963 and 1976. While primarily associated with crewed missions, many launches carried Kosmos satellites for scientific and military purposes. Its use was discontinued in favor of more advanced launch vehicles as the Soviet space program evolved. The Voskhod program, and thus the Voskhod rocket, represented an important step in the development of Soviet crewed spaceflight capabilities.