ost ok ▁ 2 K , ▁a ▁sp y ▁satellite ▁that ▁would ▁later ▁become ▁known ▁as ▁Z en it ▁ 2 , ▁and ▁V ost ok ▁ 3 K , ▁which ▁would ▁be ▁used ▁for ▁all ▁six ▁cre wed ▁V ost ok ▁miss ions . ▁ ▁Despite ▁the ▁very ▁large ▁ge ographical ▁size ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union , ▁there ▁were ▁obvious ▁limitations ▁to ▁monitoring ▁orb ital ▁space fl ights ▁from ▁ground ▁stations ▁within ▁the ▁country . ▁To ▁rem edy ▁this , ▁the ▁S ovi ets ▁station ed ▁about ▁seven ▁naval ▁vessels , ▁or ▁tracking ▁ships , ▁around ▁the ▁world . ▁For ▁each ▁ground ▁station ▁or ▁tracking ▁ship , ▁the ▁duration ▁of ▁communic ations ▁with ▁an ▁orbit ing ▁space craft ▁was ▁limited ▁to ▁between ▁five ▁and ▁ten ▁minutes . ▁ ▁Kor abl - S put nik ▁ 1 ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁V ost ok ▁space craft ▁was ▁a ▁variant ▁not ▁designed ▁to ▁be ▁recovered ▁from ▁orbit ; ▁the ▁variant ▁was ▁also ▁called ▁V ost ok ▁ 1 K P ▁( or ▁ 1 P ). ▁At ▁Kor ole v ' s ▁suggestion , ▁the ▁media ▁would ▁call ▁the ▁space craft ▁Kor abl - S put nik , ▁(" S at ellite - ship "); ▁the ▁name ▁V ost ok ▁was ▁still ▁a ▁secret ▁cod ename ▁at ▁this ▁point . ▁This ▁first ▁V ost ok ▁space craft ▁was ▁successfully ▁sent ▁into ▁orbit ▁on ▁May ▁ 1 5 , ▁ 1 9 6 0 . ▁O wing ▁to ▁a ▁system ▁mal function , ▁on ▁the ▁space