360Sputnik, the first satellite, starts the space age
On 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. The metal sphere, about 58 centimetres wide, orbited the Earth every 96 minutes, sending radio beeps that people around the world could hear. It started the space age and the space race.
Sputnik 1 was a polished metal ball with four long antennas, weighing about 84 kilograms. It was launched from the Baikonur site in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union, on an R-7 rocket.
Once in orbit, it transmitted simple radio signals that amateur operators around the world could pick up. It circled the Earth about 1,400 times over three months before burning up in the atmosphere in January 1958.
The launch surprised the world. A month later, Sputnik 2 carried a dog, Laika, into orbit. The United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, in January 1958, and created NASA that July.
The competition that followed, known as the space race, led to the first human in space in 1961 and the Moon landing in 1969. Today, thousands of satellites provide communications, navigation, weather forecasts and internet access.
- 4 October 1957
- Sputnik 1 launched
- 3 November 1957
- Sputnik 2 carries Laika
- January 1958
- Explorer 1 launched
- July 1958
- NASA created
Sources: NASA · Britannica · Smithsonian.