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| A Vostok 6 launch cover postmarked in Donetsk with a hand cancel on June 16, 1963. |
Vostok 6 was the sixth and final crewed flight of the Soviet Vostok program and one of the most historic mission that marked a major milestone in human spaceflight. Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 16 June 1963, it carried Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman to travel into space. Her flight was paired with Vostok 5, which had launched two days earlier on June 14 with Valery Bykovsky aboard. This was the second Soviet dual-spacecraft mission, following the Vostok 3 and Vostok 4 flights of August 1962.
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| Photo: Valery Bykovsky and Valentina Tereshkova. |
Tereshkova spent 2 days, 22 hours and 50 minutes in orbit, completing 48 orbits of Earth. The mission was intended to gather additional information on the effects of prolonged spaceflight on the human body, including comparative medical and biological observations involving a woman in space. She also took photographs, maintained flight records and conducted other experiments.
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| A cover from "Kiev Society of Collectors" commemorating the Vostok 6 spaceflight, postmarked with a red Kiev special hand cancel dated June 18, 1963. |
Although Vostok 5 and Vostok 6 were in different orbital planes, the two spacecraft came within approximately 5–6 km (3–4 miles) of one another during the mission. Tereshkova and Bykovsky communicated by radio, making this another important demonstration of coordinated simultaneous spaceflight. Tereshkova did not manually pilot the spacecraft during the mission. Vostok's flight was primarily controlled by an automatic guidance system, although the spacecraft carried controls that could be enabled for manual operation.
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| Photo: Valery Bykovsky and Valentina Tereshkova orbital paths. |
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| A Vostok 6 landing cover from "Kiev Society of Collectors", postmarked with a red Kiev special hand cancel on June 19, 1963, signed by Valery Bykovsky and Valentina Tereshkova. |
After 48 orbits, Vostok 6 re-entered the atmosphere on June 19, 1963. As with other Vostok missions, Tereshkova ejected from the spacecraft during descent and landed separately by parachute. Her landing occurred in the Soviet Union after a flight lasting just under three days. The mission demonstrated that a woman could undertake a multi-day orbital mission and participate in the same type of scientific and operational activities as male cosmonauts.
Tereshkova never flew in space again, despite remaining involved in the Soviet space program and public life.
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| Photo: Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev (center) with Valentina Tereshkova and Valery Bykovsky, June 22, 1963. |
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| A postcard featuring a portrait of Valentina Tereshkova, postmarked with a red Moscow special hand cancel, signed by Valentina Tereshkova. |
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| A Vostok 5 & 6 imperforate-stamp First Day Cover from “KNIGA,” postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on June 20, 1963, signed by Valery Bykovsky and Valentina Tereshkova. |
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| A Vostok 5 & 6 perforate-stamp First Day Cover from “KNIGA,” postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on June 22, 1963, signed by Valery Bykovsky and Valentina Tereshkova. |
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| A cover commemorating the Vostok 5 & 6 spaceflights featuring a portrait of Valentina Tereshkova, postmarked with a black Moscow special hand cancel. |
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| Photo: Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova arrived at New York for a day visit, October 15, 1963. |
