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| A Vostok 4 launch cover featuring a special Simferopol postmark dated August 12, 1962. |
Vostok 4 was launched on August 12, 1962, just a day after Vostok 3, carrying cosmonaut Pavel Popovich. This marked the first time that two manned spacecraft were in orbit simultaneously. Although both spacecraft were in similar orbits (within 3-4 kilometers in altitude), they lacked the capability for rendezvous. At one point, they came within visual range of each other, and Popovich later noted in a news conference that he could see Vostok 3 from orbit, describing it as "a very small moon in the distance." The Vostok 4 mission proceeded mostly as planned, despite a malfunction in the life-support systems that caused the cabin temperature to drop to 10 °C (50 °F). The flight was cut short due to a misunderstanding with ground control, who thought Popovich had requested an early return. The two spacecraft landed approximately seven minutes apart and about 200 km from each other, south of Karaganda, Kazakhstan.
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| A Vostok 4 launch cover featuring a special Nikolaev postmark dated August 12, 1962. |
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| Photo: Vostok 3 (piloted by Andriyan Nikolayev (left)) and Vostok 4 (piloted by Pavel Popovich (right)) landed about 200 km apart, south of Karaganda, Kazakhstan on August 15, 1962. |
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| Two KNIGA covers for Vostok 3 and 4: the top cover features imperforate stamps, while the bottom cover includes perforated stamps. Both are postmarked in Moscow on August 15, 1962, and signed by Andrian Nikolayev and Pavel Popovich. |
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| A Vostok 4 cover featuring a special Kiev postmark dated August 15, 1962, signed by Andrian Nikolayev and Pavel Popovich. |
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| A commemorative stamp for Vostok 3 and 4, featuring a special Lvov postmark dated August 15, 1962. |
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| A cover depicting a Vostok 3 and 4 cachet, featuring a special Vinnitsa postmark dated August 15, 1962. |
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Photo: Andrian Nikolayev and Pavel Popovich waving to crowd at Moscow Red Square on August 18, 1962
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| Photo: Andrian Nikolayev and Pavel Popovich shared details of their journey during a joint news conference at Moscow University on August 21, 1962.
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| A postcard featuring a portrait of Pavel Popovich, canceled with a Vostok 4 stamp depicting him. |
(Reference from
Vostok 3 and 4)
