The first human spaceflight beyond Earth orbit was the Vostok 6 mission, conducted by the Soviet Union on June 18, 1963. It was the seventh and final flight of the Vostok program, and the first to carry a female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova. The mission lasted 3 days, during which Tereshkova made 48 orbits of the Earth, becoming the first woman to travel in space.

The Vostok 6 mission was part of the Soviet Union’s ambitious space exploration program, which included the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in October 1957. After the successful launch of Yuri Gagarin in April 1961, the Soviet Union began to focus on the development of a female cosmonaut program. In February 1962, Valentina Tereshkova was chosen to be the first woman to travel in space, and her mission was given the Vostok 6 designation.

The mission was a major challenge for the Soviet Union, as it involved the launch of two spacecraft in close proximity. The Vostok 6 spacecraft was launched first, followed by the Vostok 5 spacecraft, carrying cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky. Tereshkova’s mission was to observe the Earth’s surface and study the effects of weightlessness on the human body.

On June 16, 1963, the Vostok 6 spacecraft was launched into space atop a Vostok rocket. Tereshkova spent nearly three days in space, during which she orbited the Earth 48 times. She reported that the view of Earth from her spacecraft was “magnificent”, and described the experience of weightlessness as “like a bird”.

The mission was considered a success, and Tereshkova was hailed as a hero in the Soviet Union. She received the Order of Lenin, the highest award in the Soviet Union, and became the first woman to receive the Order of Lenin.

The Vostok 6 mission marked a major milestone in the history of human space exploration. It was the first time a human had traveled beyond Earth orbit, and the first time a woman had traveled in space. The mission was a major achievement for the Soviet Union, and it showed the world that the Soviet Union was a major player in space exploration. The mission also paved the way for future exploration of space, and opened the door for more women to join the ranks of space explorers.