Vostok 1 capsule separation. Computer artwork showing the Vostok 1 descent capsule (sphere) separating from its service module in preparation for landing back on Earth. Vostok 1 carried Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) on the first manned flight in space. It was launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 12 April 1961. The flight lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes from lift-off to touch-down, and made one orbit of Earth. Gagarin died on 27th March 1968 in a plane crash while training for another space mission.