Launch Failure
Liftoff Time (GMT)
01:18:03
Saturday February 4, 1961
First probe built to fly over Venus. The Block I third stage engine failed to ignite, resulting in a launch failure.
Tyazhely Sputnik, also known by its development name as 1VA n°1 and in the West as Sputnik 7, was a Soviet spacecraft, which was intended to be the first spacecraft to explore Venus. Due to a problem with its upper stage it failed to leave low Earth orbit. In order to avoid acknowledging the failure, the Soviet government instead announced that the entire spacecraft, including the upper stage, was a test of a "Heavy Satellite" which would serve as a launch platform for future missions. The sister probe, Venera 1, successfully launched and was injected into a heliocentric orbit toward Venus one week later, although telemetry on the mission failed a week into flight.
Heliocentric Orbit
1 Payload
648 kilograms
Manufacturer
RKK EnergiyaRocket
Height: 44.23m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 6,000 kg
GTO: 2,200 kg
Liftoff Thrust
4,378 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 2.58m
Height: 6.74m
Stages
4
Strap-ons
4
3rd
Mission
1st
Mission of 1961
21st
Mission
1st
Mission of 1961
2nd
Orbital launch attempt