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R8

Rocket file · LV-352

R-36O 8K69M

Yuzhnoye Design Bureau · R-36O · RETIRED

R-36O 8K69M is an expendable launch vehicle built by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau. It stands 35.0 m tall, first flew on 25 September 1970. It has flown 2 times with 2 successes, a success rate of 100.0%. It has nothing on the Launch Library 2 schedule right now.

Specification

Vehicle spec sheet

ON FILE
Height35.0 m
Diameter3.0 m
Payload to LEONOT ON FILE
Payload to GTONOT ON FILE
Maiden flight25 September 1970
ReusableNo, expendable
Launch costNOT ON FILE
StatusRETIRED

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

ON RECORD
Total flights2
Successful2
Failed0
Success rate100.0%
Landing attempts0
Landing successN/A
Scheduled0
Variant8K69M

About R-36O 8K69M

The R-36O was the only orbiting military nuclear weapon ever deployed, although in order to remain legal under international treaties it was a 'fractional orbital' weapon. Although American infrared early warning satellites invalidated the 'surprise attack' component of the concept, 18 missiles were operational from 1969 to 1983.

Upcoming flights

Manifest

EMPTY

R-36O 8K69M is retired, and no flight is filed.

All upcoming launches

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Common questions

How many times has R-36O 8K69M flown?
2 times, with 2 successes and 0 failures.
What is R-36O 8K69M's success rate?
100.0%. That's 2 successful flights out of 2 attempts.
How much can R-36O 8K69M lift to orbit?
Launch Library 2 doesn't list a payload figure for R-36O 8K69M.
Is R-36O 8K69M reusable?
No. Launch Library 2 lists R-36O 8K69M as expendable, so no stage is recovered to fly again.