However, conspiracy theories surrounding the project claim that although crewed flights officially failed, cosmonauts were successfully sent into space in the 1950s.
The official establishment of the rocket industry was preceded by a working group run by Mikhail Tikhonravov and Nikolai Chernyshov at the NII-4 in the Academy of Artillery Science.
The test flights were reported to have lasted about 20 minutes during which the rocket reached a height of more than 100 km (Kármán line) in the upper atmosphere, with their payloads separating from the warheads.
The VR-190 project was implemented at roughly same time, with high-altitude rockets with sealed warheads and life-support systems being tested.
According to official accounts, the project never reached the stage of human flight, and was canceled due to the lack of success in the late 1950s.