Sputnik 1 (/ ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk /, Russian: Спутник-1, Satellite 1), sometimes referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program.

The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path.

On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union announced that they had placed a satellite called Sputnik into orbit around the Earth, inaugurating the Space Age. The launch took place from a site now known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Soviet Kazakhstan.

Jan 17, 2025 · It achieved an Earth orbit with an apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 940 km (584 miles) and a perigee (nearest point) of 230 km (143 miles), circling Earth every 96 minutes and remaining in orbit until January 4, 1958, when it fell back and burned in Earth’s atmosphere. The launch of Sputnik 1 shocked many Americans, who had assumed that ...

The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and …

May 1, 2015 · The Sputnik 1 spacecraft was the first artificial satellite successfully placed in orbit around the Earth and was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome at Tyuratam (370 km southwest of the small town of Baikonur) in Kazakhstan, then part of the former Soviet Union.

Not only had the Soviets been first in orbit, but Sputnik 1 weighed nearly 200 pounds, compared to the intended 3.5 pounds for the first satellite to be launched in Project Vanguard. In the Cold War environment of the late 1950s, this disparity of capability portended menacing implications.

Lifted into orbit by an R-7 Semyorka, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, Sputnik became the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. This momentous occasion signaled the beginning of the Space Age and the era of human space exploration.

Since its flight in October of 1957, forty more, different Sputniks have been sent into orbit. Only Sputniks 40 and 41 were launched following the end of the Cold War, and their purpose was merely to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1.

Sep 14, 2016 · Sputnik was the world’s first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. Launched on October 4, 1957, by the Soviet Union, Sputnik marked the beginning of the space age and the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.