The first four-stage R-7, built to send probes to the Moon, Venus and Mars. Many of its launches fail, but it sends Venera 1 toward Venus and Mars 1 toward Mars, and places the first Molniya communications satellites in their long elliptical orbits.
- Launches
- 40
- Success rate
- 50%
- 10 failures · 10 partial
- Builder
- RKK Energia
- Height
- 43.4 m
- Diameter
- 3 m
- Stages
- 3
- Boosters
- 4 × 8K74
- Propellants
- Kerosene / LOX
- Payload to LEO
- 1,900 kg
Launches per year
Molniya 8K78
Other R-7 rockets
Show as table
| Year | Launches | Molniya 8K78 |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3 | 2 |
| 1961 | 7 | 2 |
| 1962 | 9 | 6 |
| 1963 | 7 | 4 |
| 1964 | 15 | 8 |
| 1965 | 24 | 11 |
| 1966 | 23 | 3 |
| 1967 | 27 | 4 |
| 1968 | 35 | 0 |
| 1969 | 36 | 0 |
| 1970 | 37 | 0 |
| 1971 | 34 | 0 |
| 1972 | 40 | 0 |
| 1973 | 42 | 0 |
| 1974 | 31 | 0 |
| 1975 | 40 | 0 |
| 1976 | 23 | 0 |
| 1977 | 10 | 0 |
| 1978 | 9 | 0 |
| 1979 | 7 | 0 |
| 1980 | 12 | 0 |
| 1981 | 14 | 0 |
| 1982 | 11 | 0 |
| 1983 | 11 | 0 |
| 1984 | 11 | 0 |
| 1985 | 16 | 0 |
| 1986 | 14 | 0 |
| 1987 | 4 | 0 |
| 1988 | 11 | 0 |
| 1989 | 6 | 0 |
| 1990 | 12 | 0 |
| 1991 | 5 | 0 |
| 1992 | 8 | 0 |
| 1993 | 8 | 0 |
| 1994 | 3 | 0 |
| 1995 | 4 | 0 |
| 1996 | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 | 0 |
R-7 rockets
| Rocket | Flown | Launches | Success rate | Height | Payload to LEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Molniya 8K78 | 1960 to 1967 | 40 | 50% | 43.4 m | 1,900 kg |
| Vostok-K | 1960 to 1964 | 13 | 85% | 38.4 m | 4,725 kg |
| Voskhod | 1963 to 1976 | 299 | 96% | 44 m | 6,000 kg |
| Molniya-M 2BL | 1965 to 2010 | 272 | 95% | 43.4 m | 1,800 kg |
| Molniya 8K78M-PVB | 1990 to 1992 | 8 | 100% | 43.4 m | 1,900 kg |