Some Early Russian Rockets The USSR CH-IO is a giant three-stage missile weighing 350,000 pounds. Few other details are known about the rocket except that it is over 100 feet long and is 131/2 feet in diameter. The CH-10 is believed to be the rocket the Russians used to launch the payload that hit the moon on September 13, 1959. The last stage of the CH-10 is also reported to have crashed into the moon. The T-2 is a USSR intermediate-range ballistic missile in service with the Russian army. It can carry a nuclear warhead between 1300 and 1500 miles. This two-stage rocket is powered by liquid-fueled engines, the first (or booster) stage producing a thrust of 80,000 pounds. Its maximum length is about 100 feet and it weighs 120,000 pounds. Speed is 5,000 miles per hour. The T-2 missile is comparable to our Jupiter and Thor.