SPUTNIK

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Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. A polished metal sphere with a diameter of 23 inches, it broadcast radio pulses via four external antennas and orbited Earth for three months before burning up upon re-entry. This unexpected success sparked the Space Race and American Sputnik crisis, influencing political, military, technological, and scientific advancements. Data from Sputnik's orbit and radio signals provided information about the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. Launched during the International Geophysical Year at Kazakh SSR's 5th Tyuratam range (now Baikonur Cosmodrome), it traveled at 18,000 mph, taking 96.2 minutes per orbit until its transmitter batteries ceased on October 26, 1957.