Rocket file · LV-184
Molniya 8K78
Molniya 8K78 is an expendable launch vehicle built by Strategic Rocket Forces. It stands 43.4 m tall, lifts 1,900 kg to low Earth orbit, first flew on 10 October 1960. It has flown 40 times with 20 successes, a success rate of 50.0%. It has nothing on the Launch Library 2 schedule right now.
Specification
Vehicle spec sheet
As listed by Launch Library 2. The cost is Launch Library’s figure, not a quoted price. Figures for rockets outside the sixty most-flown were last read on 2026-11-05.
Flight record
Reliability
About Molniya 8K78
The Molniya was a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and had four stages. The 8K78 resulted from a crash program by the Korolev Bureau to develop a booster for launching planetary probes. A larger third stage was added along with a fourth stage (Blok L) that was designed to fire in-orbit to send the payload out of LEO. The basic R-7 core was also structurally strengthened and given more powerful engines. A rushed development produced multiple malfunctions of the upper stages, which led to its being replaced by the improved Molniya-M in 1964, but there were enough 8K78s left to continue flying them into 1967.
Upcoming flights
Manifest
Molniya 8K78 is retired, and no flight is filed.
All upcoming launchesMolniya 8K78 in the archive
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Common questions
- How many times has Molniya 8K78 flown?
- 40 times, with 20 successes and 20 failures.
- What is Molniya 8K78's success rate?
- 50.0%. That's 20 successful flights out of 40 attempts.
- How much can Molniya 8K78 lift to orbit?
- Launch Library 2 lists Molniya 8K78 at 1,900 kg to low Earth orbit.
- Is Molniya 8K78 reusable?
- No. Launch Library 2 lists Molniya 8K78 as expendable, so no stage is recovered to fly again.