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| Belka & Strelka space flight launch cover postmarked at Minsk on August 19, 1960. |
Korabl-Sputnik 2 (or Sputnik 5) was the third test flight of the Vostok spacecraft. It was the first Russian spaceflight that sent animals into orbit and returned them safely back to Earth. Launched on 19 August 1960, it paved the way for the first human orbital flight, Vostok 1, which was launched less than eight months later. The spacecraft carried two dogs (Belka and Strelka), forty mice, two rats and a variety of plants, as well as a television camera, which took images of the dogs. The spacecraft returned to Earth at 06:00:00 UTC on 20 August, the day after its launch. Telemetry revealed that one dog had suffered seizures and vomited during the fourth orbit, and it was decided to limit the first manned flight to three orbits. All of the animals were recovered safely, and a year later Strelka had a litter of puppies, one of which was sent to First Lady of the US Jacqueline Kennedy as a goodwill present from the Soviet Union.
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| Photo: Strelka (left) and Belka (right), the first two dogs to survive an orbit around Earth on August 19, 1960. |
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| Belka & Strelka space flight recovery cover postmarked at Minsk on August 20, 1960. |
Korabl-Sputnik 2 was the second attempt to launch a Vostok capsule with dogs on board. The first attempt on July 28, 1960, carrying a pair of dogs named Chaika ("Seagull") and Lisichka ("Foxie"), had been unsuccessful after a fire and breakdown in one of the combustion chambers, followed by its breaking off of the booster 19 seconds after launch. At around 30 seconds, the launch vehicle disintegrated. Flight controllers sent a command to jettison the payload shroud and separate the descent module, but due to the low altitude, the parachutes only deployed partially, and the dogs were killed on impact with the ground.
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| Photo: Belka in space during orbit around the Earth. |
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Top: Belka & Strelka space flight launch cover postmarked at Vilnius on August 19, 1960.
Bottom: Belka & Strelka space flight recovery cover postmarked at Vilnius on August 20, 1960. |
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| Belka & Strelka first day cover postmarked at Moscow on September 29, 1960. |
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| Belka & Strelka printed on postal stationery. |
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| Belka & Strelka photo postcards. |
(Reference from
Korabl-Sputnik 2)
