Korabl-Sputnik 2
| Mission type | Biological Technology |
|---|---|
| Harvard designation | 1960 Lambda 1 |
| SATCAT no. | 55 |
| Mission duration | 1 day |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Vostok-1K No. 2 |
| Spacecraft type | Vostok-1K |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 4,600 kilograms (10,100 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 August 1960, 08:44:06 UTC |
| Rocket | Vostok-L 8K72 s/n L1-12 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 20 August 1960, 06:00:00 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 287 kilometres (178 mi) |
| Apogee | 324 kilometres (201 mi) |
| Inclination | 64.95° |
| Period | 90.72 minutes |
| Epoch | 19 August 1960 16:09:33 (UTC) |
Korabl-Sputnik 2 (Russian: Корабль-Спутник 2 meaning Ship-Satellite 2), also known incorrectly as Sputnik 5 in the West, was a Soviet artificial satellite, and the third test flight of the Vostok spacecraft. It was the first spaceflight to send animals into orbit and return them safely back to Earth. Launched on 19 August 1960, it paved the way for the first human orbital flight, Vostok 1, which was launched less than eight months later.
Korabl-Sputnik 2 was the second attempt to launch a Vostok capsule with dogs on board. The first try on 28 July, carrying a pair named Bars (Snow Leopard aka. Chaika (Seagull)) and Lisichka (Foxie), had been unsuccessful after the Blok G strap-on suffered a fire and breakdown in one of the combustion chambers, followed by its breaking off of the booster 19 seconds after launch. Around 30 seconds, the launch vehicle disintegrated, the core and strap-ons flying in random directions and crashing into the steppe. Flight controllers sent a command to jettison the payload shroud and separate the descent module, but due to the low altitude, the parachutes only deployed partially, and the dogs were killed on impact with the ground. It was believed that the combustion chamber disintegration was due to longitudinal vibrations. This created a considerable uproar, as the problem, which had plagued earlier 8K72 launches, had supposedly been corrected. It was ultimately traced to deficient manufacturing practices at the R-7 assembly plant. The accident also encouraged the development of an ejector seat for the cosmonaut to escape from the capsule in the event of a launch failure, since the parachutes in the descent module would not be able to open properly until around 40 seconds into launch. This occurred, ironically, one day before the US program suffered a serious setback with the loss of a Mercury capsule.
A commonly circulated film clip depicting a Vostok booster lifting followed by the movement of its shadow on the ground is often assumed to be from Vostok 1's launch; however, it was actually the ill-fated flight of 28 July 1960.
The launch of Korabl-Sputnik 2 occurred on 19 August 1960, using a Vostok-L carrier rocket. Official sources reported the launch time to have been 08:44:06 UTC; however, Sergei Voevodin gave it as 08:38:24. A radio station in Bonn, West Germany, was among the first to pick up signals from the spacecraft, which were confirmed on the third orbit by a Swedish radio station.
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