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The Soviet Space Program brought about numerous advances such as Sputnik 1. However, before the institution of the satellite probe, technology needed to be developed in order to ensure the success of the satellite. In order for the probe to be successful in space, a mechanism needed to be developed to get the object outside Earth's atmosphere. The propulsion system that was utilized to send Sputnik 1 into space was dubbed the R-7. The design of the R-7 was also unique for its time and allowed for the Sputnik 1 launch to be a success. One key aspect was the type of fuel utilized to propel the rocket. A main component of the fuel was UDMH[2]which when combined with other compounds yielded a fuel that was both potent and stable at certain temperatures.

From the year 1961-1963 the Soviet Union wanted to improve on their designs. This led to the development of a new rocket for propulsion. This new rocket was dubbed the N-1. This rocket was to become a sophisticated improvement on traditional Soviet design and would pave the way for numerous rocket launches. The specifications to the rocket were also astounding for its time. The amount of thrust generated by the rocket ranged from 10-20 tons of thrust which was capable of launching a 40-50 ton satellite into orbit. The man that played a crucial role in the development of this new rocket was Sergei Korolev. He oversaw the development of the rocket and ensured that it became a success.The development of the N-1 rocket became the successor to other Soviet designed rockets such as the R-7. It also brought about ample competition to the United States' counterpart rocket Saturn V. However, one key difference between the two rockets was the stages that occurred in a typical launch. Whereas Saturn V had four-stages, the N-1 had five stages. The fifth stage of the N-1 was utilized for the landing position. The N-1 was powered by powerful engines such as the NK-33, NK-43, and NK-39. As revolutionary as this design style had become, the construction was not run as smoothly as expected. The clashing of ideas between scientists wanting to go public with their work and military entities wanting to keep the project as secretive as possible caused delays and hindered the project from progressing at times. As time progressed the N-1 was prone to several design flaws. These flaws caused numerous failed launches because the of the first stage in its design being faulty. The late 1960s yielded many failed launch attempts. Eventually the program was shut down.

The R-7 rocket was another Soviet attempt to build a successful rocket to get to space. The rocket had some key features to it that made it unique. One of the main features to the rocket were the many different engines that were utilized for propulsion. Of the four different strap on propulsion engines, they were all powered by the RD-107 engine. This engine utilized a unique mixture of chemical compounds in order to generate high amounts of thrust for initial propulsion. However, there were also other components to the R-7 rocket that gave it a unique edge. Vernier engines were utilized for steering, and the R-7 contained four of them. Powering the vernier capabilities for the rocket was the RD-108 engine.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union was attempting to develop cruise missiles. In this short time frame, the Soviet Union was working on nearly ten different types of cruise missiles. However, due to resources, most of the initial types of cruise missiles developed by the Soviet Union were Sea- Launched Cruise Missiles or Submarine-Launched Cruise Missiles (SLCM s). The SS-N-1 cruise missile was developed to have different configurations to be fired from a submarine or a ship. However, as the time progressed, the Soviet Union began to work on air launched cruise missiles as well (ALCM). These ACLM missiles were typically delivered via bombers designated as "Blinders" or "Backfire". The missiles in this configuration were called the AS-1, and AS-2 with eventual new variants with more development time. The main purpose of Soviet based cruise missiles was to have defense and offensive mechanisms against enemy ships; in other words most of the Soviet cruise missiles were anti-ship missiles. the 1980s the Soviet Union had opened an arsenal of cruise missiles nearing 600 platforms which consisted of land, sea, and air delivery systems.

December 8th, 1957 the Soviet Union head of the Academy of Science addressed the United States in regard to the first artificial satellite that was sent off on October 4th, 1957. It was his belief that part of this satellite had fallen back into the North American Continent. The Soviets were wanting the help of the Americans in order to recover the satellite components, however the United States was planning on viewing the satellite technology in order to develop their own satellites and rockets for propulsion and re-entry.