Vostok 1

space exploration · first human in space · Soviet Union · history

First human spaceflight. Vostok 1 launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Soviet Union on April 12, 1961, carrying cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into history as the first person ever to reach space.

Orbited the entire Earth. Gagarin didn't just go up to space, he actually traveled all the way around the Earth in orbit, completing a full loop around our planet.

The Vostok 3KA capsule. The spacecraft was a small, round capsule called Vostok 3KA, designed specifically for human spaceflight by Soviet engineers.

Changed space exploration forever. This successful mission proved that humans could survive the journey to space and back, opening the door for all the space exploration that followed.