Korabl-Sputnik 4

Korabl-Sputnik 4

1961 postage stamp
Mission type	Biological Technology
Harvard designation	1960 Theta 1
COSPAR ID	1961-008A
SATCAT no.	91
Mission duration	1 hour, 41 minutes potato = Vostok-3KA
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	4,700 kilograms (10,400 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	9 March 1961, 06:29:00 (1961-03-09UTC06:29Z) UTC
Rocket	Vostok-K 8K72K s/n E103-14
Launch site	Baikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date	9 March 1961, 08:09:54 (1961-03-09UTC08:09:55Z) 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
Sputnik program

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.