Korabl-Sputnik 4
1961 postage stamp | |
| Names | Sputnik 9 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Biological Technology |
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Harvard designation | 1960 Theta 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1961-008A |
| SATCAT no. | 91 |
| Mission duration | 1 hour, 41 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Vostok-3KA |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 4,700 kilograms (10,400 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 March 1961, 06:29:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Vostok-K 8K72K |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 9 March 1961, 08:09:54 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 173 kilometres (107 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 239 kilometres (149 mi) |
| Inclination | 64.93 degrees |
| Period | 88.6 minutes |
Korabl-Sputnik 4 (Russian: Корабль-Спутник 4 meaning Ship-Satellite 4) or Vostok-3KA No.1, also known as Sputnik 9 in the West, was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched on 9 March 1961. Carrying the mannequin Ivan Ivanovich, a dog named Chernushka, some mice and the first guinea pig in space, it was a test flight of the Vostok spacecraft.
Korabl-Sputnik 4 was launched at 06:29:00 UTC on 9 March 1961, atop a Vostok-K carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was successfully placed into low Earth orbit. The spacecraft was only intended to complete a single orbit, so it was deorbited shortly after launch, and reentered on its first pass over the Soviet Union. It landed at 08:09:54 UTC, and was successfully recovered. During the descent, the mannequin was ejected from the spacecraft in a test of its ejection seat, and descended separately under its own parachute.