Sputnik-1

Sputnik-1 with technician
Sputnik 1 with technician

Sputnik 1 was launched from the Soviet Union's secret rocket base at Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on the night of 4th October 1957. The Soviet Union had initially planned a heavier and more complex design for the first satellite. However, under pressure to launch in International Geophysical Year, the simple and aesthetically beautiful design for Sputnik 1 was chosen.

The satellite was a sphere of aluminium, 58 cm in diameter, with four long antenna protruding like whiskers to one side. The sphere's skin was just 2mm in thickness and it was filled with pressurised nitrogen gas.

Sputnik's mission was largely political - the famous "beep-beep" signal was broadcast at a frequency that amateur radio enthusiasts could pick up, ensuring the widest possible audience - but it was also used to study the physical properties of the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere.

Laika (C) Virtual Space Museum, Russian Space Web
Laika

Sputnik-1 was followed by the launch of Sputnik-2 on 3rd November 1957, which carried a small dog, called Laika (meaning "barker"), the first living creature in space.

Americans responded by launching the Explorer-1 satellite in January 1958. The Space Race had begun.