R-36O family
R-36O 8K69
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.
Flights flown21
Success rate90.5%19/21
Maiden flight1965-07-28
Peak year196710 flights
R-36O 8K69 is built by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau of Ukraine. It first flew on 16 December 1965 and last flew on 28 July 1970.
Flight record
90.5% success rate19 of 21 flown · 2 failed
1965peak 1967 · 10 flights1970
First flight1965-12-16
Latest flight1970-07-28
Failures2
Consecutive successes14
Fastest turnaround2d 23h
Vehicle
| Stages | 2 |
|---|---|
| Length | 32.6m |
| Diameter | 3m |
| Launch mass | 182t |
| Maiden flight | 1965-07-28 |
| Reusable | No |
Launch history
| Date | Mission | Pad | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-07-28 | R-36O 8K69 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 22 | 191/66 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1969-09-15 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 21 | 191/66 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1968-10-02 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 20 | 161/35 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1968-05-27 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 19 | 161/35 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1968-05-20 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 18 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1968-04-25 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 17 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-10-28 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 16 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-10-18 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 15 | 161/35 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-09-22 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 14 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-09-19 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 13 | 161/35 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-08-08 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 12 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-07-31 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 11 | 161/35 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-07-17 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 10 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-05-17 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 9 | 161/35 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1967-03-22 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 8 | 161/35 | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1967-01-25 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 7 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1966-11-02 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 6 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1966-09-17 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 5 | 162/36 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1966-05-19 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 4 | 67/22 | Suborbital | Success |
| 1966-02-05 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 2 | 67/21 | Suborbital | Success |
| 1965-12-16 | R-36O 8K69 | OGCh 1 | 67/21 | Suborbital | Success |
Specifications from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs, launch records from Space Index. Derived figures are computed here; see sources and method.
Further reading: Wikipedia