21st August 1957: USSR successfully tests the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

Описание: Known as R-7 Semyorka, development of the missile began in the early 1950s under the leadership of Soviet rocket engineer Sergei Korolev. The primary objective was to create a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets across the globe, particularly within the continental United States.

The R-7 was a two-stage liquid-fuelled missile, standing 34 meters tall with a launch weight of 280 metric tons. Its first stage comprised four strap-on boosters, each equipped with its own engine, while the second contained a single core engine that together provided the necessary thrust to achieve intercontinental range.

After unsuccessful tests in May and June 1957, another attempt was made from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 21 August. After flying 6,000 kilometres, the rocket successfully hit its target in what is now the Kura Missile Test Range in the Russian Far East. Although its dummy warhead disintegrated in the upper atmosphere, the successful flight demonstrated the USSR’s capability to strike distant targets, significantly altering the balance of power.

As well as serving as a powerful propaganda tool that bolstered the USSR’s image as a global power, the announcement of the test also had a profound impact on the United States’ missile development programs. In an attempt to close the ‘missile gap’ the USA intensified programs such as Atlas and Titan, marking an escalation in the Cold War arms race. The rocket also played a crucial role in the Soviet space program as the R-7 served as the basis for the launch vehicle that would eventually place the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit later that year.