Editing R-7 Semyorka (section)

== Operational history ==
A [[Sputnik (rocket)|modified version]] of the missile (8K71PS) launched the world's first satellite into orbit when [[Sputnik 1]] lifted off from Baikonur on 4 October 1957. [[Sputnik 2]] followed on 3 November 1957. Sputnik (8A91) subsequently launched [[Sputnik 3]] on 15 May 1958.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2000|pp=167, 174, 176}}

The first strategic-missile unit went on alert status on 15 December 1959 at [[Plesetsk Cosmodrome|Plesetsk]] in the north-west of the USSR. An improved version, the [[R-7A Semyorka|R-7A]] with a lighter warhead, all inertial guidance system and a range of 12,000&nbsp;km, became the standard version once it reached operational status on 12 September 1960.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2000|p=213}}{{sfn|Chertok|2005|p=235 Vol 2}}

The costs of the system were high, mostly due to the difficulty of constructing in remote areas the large launch sites required. Besides the cost, the missile system faced other operational challenges.  With the [[Lockheed U-2|U-2]] overflights, the huge R-7 launch complexes could not be hidden and therefore could be expected to be destroyed quickly in any nuclear war. Also, the R-7 took almost twenty hours to prepare for launching, and it could not be left on alert for more than a day due to its [[cryogenic fuel]] system. Therefore, the Soviet force could not be kept on permanent alert and could have been subject to an air strike before launching. These issues meant that the original planned fifty launch complexes were reduced to six, five for strategic forces, Site 31 at Baikonur and Sites 16, 41 and 43 (2 pads) at [[Plesetsk Cosmodrome|Plesetsk]] and one for space launches at [[Gagarin's Start|Site 1]], [[Baikonur Cosmodrome|Baikonur]].{{sfn|Siddiqi|2000|p=213}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zak |first1=Anatoly |title=Launch facilities for R-7-based rockets in Plesetsk |url=https://www.russianspaceweb.com/plesetsk_r7.html |website=Russian Space Web |access-date=28 December 2023}}</ref>

The limitations of the R-7 pushed the Soviet Union into rapidly developing second-generation missiles which would be more viable weapons systems, particularly the [[R-16 (missile)|R-16]].<ref name="AZ_R16">{{cite web |last1=Zak |first1=Anatoly |title=R-16 |url=https://www.russianspaceweb.com/r16.html |website=Russian Space Web |access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref> The R-7 was phased out of military service by mid-1968.<ref name="WSF">{{cite web |title=R-7 History |url=https://www.worldspaceflight.com/addendum/r7/r7_history.php |website=World Space Flight |access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref>

The R-7 turned out to be impractical as a weapon, but it became the basis for a series of Soviet [[Expendable launch system|expendable space launch vehicles]], including [[Vostok (rocket family)|Vostok family of launchers]], [[Molniya (rocket)|Molniya]] and [[Soyuz (rocket family)|Soyuz family of launchers.]]<ref name="WSF" /> {{As of|2024}},  modified and modernized versions ([[Soyuz-2|Soyuz 2]] and the boosterless [[Soyuz-2.1v|2.1v variant]]) remain in service, having launched over 1,840 times. The R-7 is also a record holder in terms of longevity, with more than 50 years of service with its various modifications and has become the world's most reliable space launcher.{{sfn|Chertok|2005|p=237 Vol 2}}<ref name="HSC">{{cite web |title=Russian Rockets and Space Launchers |url=https://historicspacecraft.com/Rockets_Russian.html |website=Historic Spacecraft |access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref>