At 09:29 UTC an R-7 rocket carrying Vostok 6 lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Aboard sat the 27-year-old Valentina Tereshkova — the first woman to venture into space. Many veteran engineers watched her launch with mixed feelings: it was a bold propaganda move.
The Vostok 3KA craft was technically identical to the one Gagarin flew. Control was automatic, with manual operation locked away for emergencies. Shortly after launch Tereshkova called Mission Control under the call sign "Chaika" and reported she felt fine.
From the flight transcript
This is Chaika. I see the horizon — a blue, blue band. That is Earth. How beautiful it is!
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