Today, April 12, 2026, marks the 65th anniversary of the first human flight into space. On this day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin, aboard the Vostok-1 spacecraft, launched from Baikonur, made one orbit around the Earth, and landed near the village of Smelovka in the Saratov region. 108 minutes that changed history.
Amidst what was happening in orbit, it's easy to forget another aspect: this whole story had its earthly side—the motorcade, the airplane steps, the red carpet. We recall the vehicles that accompanied the first cosmonaut in those days.
LAZ-695B
Gagarin and his backup, German Titov, were transported to the Baikonur launch site in a LAZ-695B bus. Its interior was specially modified: the body was better sealed to protect against steppe dust, and equipment for ventilating spacesuits and special communication radios were installed. In the front, there were four seats—two of them swivel seats, for the cosmonauts.
That very bus is stored in the collection of the United Yuri Gagarin Museum in Gagarin, Smolensk region. Once a year, on April 12, it is taken out of the garage for demonstration to visitors.
Il-18
On April 14, the Il-18 with tail number USSR-75717 delivered the first cosmonaut to Moscow. As it approached the capital, the plane was escorted by seven MiG-17 fighters. The crew commander, Pyotr Vorobyov, made a ceremonial circle over Red Square and landed at Vnukovo.
Gagarin was the first to descend the ramp. To the sounds of the march "We were born to make a fairy tale come true," he walked along the red carpet to the government tribune and reported to Nikita Khrushchev on the completion of the mission.
Mi-4
Five Mi-4 helicopters from the 235th Joint Aviation Squadron were involved in the celebrations. They flew along Leninsky Prospekt, along which the motorcade later proceeded, and dropped leaflets with a photo portrait of Gagarin on Muscovites.
ZIL-111V
Yuri Gagarin, his wife Valentina, and Nikita Khrushchev were driven through the streets of Moscow in a ZIL-111V—an open-top limousine of sky-blue color with a beige awning. The motorcade was accompanied by a platoon of honor escort on K-750 motorcycles.
At the very beginning of Yakimanka, one of the Muscovites managed to slip through the cordon, run onto the road, and hand Gagarin a bouquet of flowers.
At 14:30, a solemn rally took place on Red Square, at which Khrushchev announced the awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR to Gagarin.
Happy Cosmonautics Day! 65 years ago, one bus, one airplane, and one open-top limousine became part of the most daring journey in human history.