Soviet Space Program

Soviet Space Propaganda Poster Prints

Artwork in the visual language of the Soviet space age, from Sputnik in 1957 to the protest posters of the 1980s. 30 designs, printed to order on archival giclee matte paper.

Soviet space propaganda was a genuine design movement. Between the launch of Sputnik 1 and the end of the Space Race, state publishers turned out posters by the hundreds of thousands, built from flat blocks of colour, heroic diagonals, and a single Cyrillic slogan. This collection works in that idiom.

Some pieces are original compositions built around a specific moment in the programme, from the R-7 on its pad at Baikonur to the N1 Moon rocket that never flew. Others are recreations of period designs from 1958 to 1963, the five years when Soviet space poster output was at its peak. The history behind the artwork is covered on the cultural impact and timeline pages.

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Stylized 2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. Top: a red Sputnik satellite with antennas against a midnight-blue sky full of stars. Center: a gold curving trajectory line. Bottom: a Soviet worker in red overalls and an engineer in blue coveralls looking up at the satellite. Below them, the silhouette of a city skyline with a small red flag. Title text in Cyrillic reads К ЗВЕЗДАМ! (Toward the Stars).
К Звездам!
Toward the Stars
1957 - Sputnik era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. A heroic cosmonaut in a white SK-1 pressure helmet labeled CCCP in red Cyrillic, three-quarter profile looking upward. Behind the cosmonaut, a brilliant rising red sun fills the upper half of the poster with radiating gold rays. A small white Vostok capsule arcs across the rays trailing a red flame. Cream and red background. Bottom band reads ПЕРВЫЙ ГРАЖДАНИН КОСМОСА (First Citizen of the Cosmos).
Первый Гражданин Космоса
First Citizen of the Cosmos
1961 - Gagarin era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. Two dogs in clear acrylic space helmets, side-by-side bust portraits. One dog has white-and-tan markings, the other is slightly darker. Behind them, Earth's curving horizon and a Korabl-Sputnik capsule descending under a red-and-white striped parachute against a starry sky. Warm cream background with red accents and gold sun rays. Top band reads ПЕРВОПРОХОДЦЫ (Pioneers); bottom band reads СЛАВА НАШИМ ДРУЗЬЯМ! (Glory to Our Friends).
Первопроходцы
Pioneers
Early 1960s - Belka and Strelka era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. A stylized female cosmonaut in a Vostok pressure suit with helmet labeled CCCP in red Cyrillic, three-quarter profile gazing upward. Behind her, a gold five-pointed star and the Vostok 6 capsule arcing across a starfield. Deep red background dominates with ivory and gold accents for the cosmonaut figure. Bottom band reads ДОЧЬ ОКТЯБРЯ (Daughter of October).
Дочь Октября
Daughter of October
1963 - Tereshkova era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. Top: two stylized hands - one wearing a red Soviet cuff with star, one wearing a blue-and-stars American cuff - clasping firmly. Middle: two docked capsules nose-to-nose, the left one labeled CCCP in red Cyrillic with a red star, the right labeled USA in blue with stars. Bottom: Earth's curve with a golden sunrise terminator. Title text in Cyrillic reads БРАТСТВО СРЕДИ ЗВЁЗД (Brotherhood Among the Stars) with subtitle APOLLO - СОЮЗ • 1975.
Братство Среди Звёзд
Brotherhood Among the Stars
1975 - Apollo-Soyuz era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster, dark and confrontational. Center: a massive open human hand, palm outward, blocking an incoming missile painted with U.S. stars-and-stripes markings. Upper right: a small peaceful blue Earth. Upper left: a red NO symbol crossing out a small missile. Background: black sky with stars. Bottom band reads КОСМОС ПРИНАДЛЕЖИТ ВСЕМ (Space Belongs to Everyone) in heavy condensed sans-serif.
Космос Принадлежит Всем
Space Belongs to Everyone
1984 - Anti-SDI era
Stylized 2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. A slim V-2-derived R-1 rocket stands on a launch pad in central silhouette, with a solid red flame block as its exhaust. Behind it, a charcoal-silhouetted skyline of postwar Soviet factories, smokestacks, and gantries. Above, a deep midnight-blue sky with a single gold five-pointed star. Bottom band reads ПЕРВЫЙ ШАГ (First Step). Palette of charcoal, deep red, gold, and ivory cream with offset-printing halftone texture.
Первый Шаг
First Step
1948 - postwar reconstruction era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. An R-7 rocket on the launch pad at Baikonur, pale gray with its four conical strap-on boosters around the central core visible. Bright orange and gold exhaust flames at the base. Upper right: a small Sputnik 1 satellite sphere with four whip antennas, surrounded by golden rays. Background: stylized red and gold dawn sky over the curving black silhouette of the Kazakh steppe. Top reads НАЧАЛО (The Beginning).
Начало
The Beginning
1957 - Sputnik era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. A Vostok 8K72K rocket arcs diagonally upward from lower-left to upper-right, leaving a curving red and gold exhaust trail that dominates the composition. Above the trail, a stylized cosmonaut helmet (no face, just the white SK-1 dome with CCCP markings) breaks through clouds. Bottom: a Soviet worker in red overalls raising a hand toward the sky. Top reads ПОЕХАЛИ! (Let's Go!). Deep midnight blue background with red and gold accents.
Поехали!
Let's Go!
April 1961 - Gagarin's flight
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. Top half: a stylized sunrise with gold rays spreading from the horizon. Middle: the Voskhod 11A57 rocket rising from the sun in pale gray, with the four-strap-on R-7 architecture visible. Bottom: three stylized cosmonaut silhouettes in white pressure suits, holding hands in solidarity, representing the Voskhod 1 three-crew mission. Top text reads ВОСХОД (Sunrise). Rising-sun gold dominant with deep red sky and ivory cream silhouettes.
Восход
Voskhod
1964-65 - Voskhod program
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. A Soyuz rocket on the pad, tall slim ivory silhouette against a deep red background, four R-7 strap-ons clearly defined. Above the rocket: a stylized Salyut-style space station silhouette with solar panels in gold. Below: two stylized hands clasped in a handshake, one with a CCCP red cuff and one with an ESA blue cuff. Bottom band reads СОЮЗ (Soyuz/Union) in heavy condensed sans-serif. Service tower silhouettes flank both sides of the pad.
Союз
Soyuz
1967-present - the workhorse
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. A Proton rocket rising vertically through the poster as a tall ivory cylinder, with six outboard propellant tanks visible at the base around the central engine cluster - Proton's distinctive silhouette. Bright orange-red exhaust at the bottom. Surrounding the rocket: stylized gold representations of its major payloads in orbit - a Salyut station, a lunar probe disc, a Mars probe with antennas, a communications satellite with solar wings. Top reads ПРОТОН (Proton). Charcoal-blue background, ivory rocket, deep red and gold accents.
Протон
Proton
1965-2025 - Proton era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. The massive N1 rocket rises vertically through the poster, its distinctive conical four-stage silhouette dominating the frame. The rocket is pale gray with red CCCP markings at the base. A brilliant gold and red exhaust plume fills the bottom third. Upper right: a stylized full Moon in pale gold with a small flag silhouette planted on its surface. Background: deep midnight-blue sky with stylized stars and a thin orange terminator glow along the horizon. Top reads К ЛУНЕ! (To the Moon!).
К Луне!
To the Moon!
1969 - N1 Moon rocket
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster in constructivist 1980s style. Central composition: the Energia rocket silhouette with Buran shuttle attached on the side, rendered in stylized geometric flat shapes. The 7.75 m central core is clearly larger than other Soviet rockets, with four strap-on Zenit-derived boosters around it. A charcoal-silhouetted gantry tower stands on the left. Below: a stylized worker in 1980s industrial overalls holding a wrench, looking up. Top reads ЭНЕРГИЯ (Energia). Deep teal sky with Soviet red, gold, and charcoal accents.
Энергия
Energia
1987-88 - Energia/Buran era
2:3 portrait Soviet propaganda poster. A sleek Zenit-2 rocket rises vertically through the poster, much slimmer than other Soviet heavy lifters - only 3.9 m diameter, no strap-on boosters. The rocket is ivory with a red stripe down its length and CCCP markings. A short sharp exhaust plume at the base suggests precision rather than brute force. To the right: a stylized geostationary satellite with radial gold beams emanating from it. Background: a starfield with the curving silhouette of Earth at the bottom in deep blue. Top reads ЗЕНИТ (Zenith).
Зенит
Zenit
1985-2017 - Zenit-2 era
2:3 portrait Soviet-style propaganda poster. The Angara A5 rocket rises vertically through the poster, its distinctive five-module Universal Rocket Module design clearly visible - one central core surrounded by four strap-on URM-1 boosters of identical shape. Painted ivory with red Cyrillic markings. Below: a stylized factory complex in charcoal silhouette representing the Khrunichev production plant with assembly halls and rail connections. Above: a stylized Vostochny Cosmodrome horizon with eastern taiga forest in dark green. Top reads АНГАРА (Angara). Cool charcoal-blue, ivory, Soviet red and gold palette.
Ангара
Angara
2014-present - Angara era
2:3 portrait Soviet-style propaganda poster. A slim Soyuz-5 rocket (4.1 m diameter, single-core design) rises vertically through the poster, painted ivory with a single red stripe and CCCP-style markings. A sharp clean white exhaust plume below. Background: Baikonur Site 45 launch pad with the gantry tower silhouetted in charcoal on the left. To the right: the wide Irtysh River curves across the lower horizon in deep blue. Above: a starfield with a stylized geostationary satellite payload in gold, illuminated by the rising rocket. Top reads ИРТЫШ (Irtysh). Sharp clean 2020s-imagined-as-Soviet aesthetic with constructivist flair.
Иртыш
Irtysh
2026 - Soyuz-5 / Irtysh era
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963 with a stylized rocket, red star, and Cyrillic slogan praising the Soviet regime. Background of deep red and gold with sunburst and starfield. Bottom band reads СЛАВА СОВЕТСКОМУ СТРОЮ! (Glory to the Soviet Regime).
Слава Советскому строю!
Glory to the Soviet Regime
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. A rising rocket trails a gold arc across a starfield, with stylized human figures looking up. Bottom Cyrillic text reads МЫ РОЖДЕНЫ, ЧТОБ СКАЗКУ СДЕЛАТЬ БЫЛЬЮ (We were born to make the fairy tale come true).
Мы рождены, чтоб сказку сделать былью!
We Were Born to Make the Fairy Tale Come True
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. A woman in a red cloak reaches upward toward a moon stamped with the CCCP emblem in red and gold. Stars fill the background; a rocket trail rises into the sky. Bottom band in bold red reads ВО ИМЯ МИРА (In the Name of Peace).
Во имя мира
In the Name of Peace
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. Stylized rocket and cosmonaut imagery with bold Cyrillic title ПОКОРИМ КОСМОС! (Conquer the Space!). Deep blue and red palette with gold accents.
Покорим космос!
Conquer the Space!
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. Stylized orbital trajectories crossing a globe, a Soviet rocket arcing upward. Bottom Cyrillic text reads В КОСМОСЕ ОТКРЫТА НАВИГАЦИЯ! (Navigation in Space Is Open).
В космосе открыта навигация!
Navigation in Space Is Open!
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. A cosmonaut figure in CCCP-marked pressure suit set against a red star and rising sun, with a rocket trail across the upper portion. Bottom band reads СЫНЫ ОКТЯБРЯ — ПИОНЕРЫ ВСЕЛЕННОЙ! (Sons of October — Pioneers of the Universe).
Сыны Октября — пионеры Вселенной!
Sons of October - Pioneers of the Universe
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. A red rocket trail arcs upward across the poster on a deep blue starfield with the curving Earth horizon at the bottom. Bottom Cyrillic text reads ДОРОГА В КОСМОС — СОВЕТСКАЯ! (The Road in Space Is Soviet).
Дорога в космос — советская!
The Road in Space Is Soviet!
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. A heroic worker figure looks up at a rising rocket and stars, set against a red sunburst with gold rays. Cyrillic text reads СЛАВА СОВЕТСКОМУ НАРОДУ — ПЕРВОПРОХОДЦУ КОСМОСА! (Glory to the Soviet People — Pioneer of Space).
Слава советскому народу — первопроходцу космоса!
Glory to the Soviet People - Pioneer of Space
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. A central red banner with СЛАВА КПСС (Glory to the KPSS) over a rocket-and-cosmonaut composition, gold sunburst behind. The Communist Party hammer-and-sickle prominent in the design.
Слава КПСС!
Glory to the KPSS!
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. Group portrait of the four early Soviet cosmonauts - Gagarin, Titov, Nikolaev, Popovich - in heroic three-quarter view wearing CCCP pressure helmets against a red sunburst and starfield. Bottom Cyrillic text names them and declares them МОГУЧИЕ ВИТЯЗИ НАШИХ ДНЕЙ (Mighty Knights of Our Days).
Гагарин, Титов, Николаев, Попович — могучие витязи наших дней
Mighty Knights of Our Days
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Soviet space propaganda poster in the visual idiom of 1958-1963. A rocket rises from a stylized launch pad/factory complex into a starfield. The Cyrillic slogan СОЦИАЛИЗМ — НАША СТАРТОВАЯ ПЛОЩАДКА (Socialism Is Our Launching Pad) frames the composition. Red, gold, and ivory palette.
Социализм — наша стартовая площадка
Socialism Is Our Launching Pad
1958-1963 - golden age of Soviet space posters
Portrait Soviet-style space poster. A young model builder holds a red rocket bearing two space-dog portraits and a hammer-and-sickle emblem. White orbital trails sweep around a pale globe against a cobalt starfield. Cyrillic text at the bottom reads ЧЕЛОВЕКУ ПУТЬ ОТКРЫТ! (The Way Is Open for Man).
Человеку путь открыт!
The Way Is Open for Man!
1960-1961, the path to human spaceflight
Portrait Soviet-style space poster. A welder carrying a mask and torch walks through a night factory while other workers weld below and a rocket rises through a deep blue starfield. Cream Cyrillic text reads РАДУЮСЬ Я, with the remaining slogan set in blue across the cream footer.
Радуюсь я, это мой труд вливается в труд моей республики
I Am Happy: My Labor Joins the Labor of My Republic
1958-1963, workers of the space age

How the prints are made

Each poster is a giclee print on 200gsm archival matte fine-art paper, laid down with pigment inks rated for over 100 years of colour stability. The paper is acid free and FSC certified, and the matte finish kills glare, which matters for artwork built out of large flat areas of red and gold.

Nothing is printed until it is ordered. Each print is produced at the facility closest to the delivery address, in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, or Australia, then shipped rolled in a kraft tube. Prints arrive unframed in standard sizes, so an off-the-shelf frame fits without custom mounting.

Sizes and pricing

SizeMetricPrice
12" x 18"30 x 45 cm$39
16" x 24"40 x 60 cm$49
20" x 30"50 x 75 cm$69
24" x 36"60 x 90 cm$89

Prices in USD. Every design is available in all four sizes, with free worldwide shipping and a 30-day return window.

Frequently asked questions

Are these original vintage Soviet posters?

No. These are newly made prints, not vintage originals. Some are original compositions created in the visual idiom of a specific moment in Soviet space history; others are faithful recreations of period poster designs from 1958 to 1963. Nothing sold here is an antique or a scan of a museum original.

What paper and inks are used?

Every print is a giclee on 200gsm archival matte fine-art paper, using pigment inks rated for 100+ years of colour stability. The matte surface removes glare, which suits the flat blocks of colour these designs are built from.

What sizes and prices are available?

Four sizes: 12x18 inches at $39, 16x24 at $49, 20x30 at $69, and 24x36 at $89 (USD). Every design is offered in all four sizes.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes, with free worldwide shipping on every size. Prints are made to order at the production facility closest to the delivery address (United States, United Kingdom, European Union, or Australia), which keeps delivery fast and the carbon footprint low.

How long will my print take to arrive?

Production takes 1 to 3 business days, then 3 to 10 business days in transit depending on destination. Tracking is included on every order.

Do prints arrive framed?

No. Prints ship rolled in a sturdy kraft tube and arrive unframed, so you can choose a frame to suit the room. Standard sizes are used throughout, so off-the-shelf frames fit without custom mounting.

What is your return policy?

There is a 30-day return window. Anything damaged in transit is reprinted and reshipped free of charge, just send a photo. For change-of-mind returns the buyer covers return shipping.