Sputnik 1
Replica of Sputnik 1 on display at Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, image credit Bob the Alien's Tour of the Solar System
Mission Name
Sputnik 1
Type of Mission
Earth Satellite
Target Destination
Earth
Launch Date
4th October 1957
Arrival
Entered Earth orbit on 4th October 1957
Mission Status
Ended successfully, last communication was received on 26th October but Sputnik 1 continued orbiting Earth until 4th January 1958 when it reentered the atmosphere
Current Location
Burned up in Earth's atmosphere, 4th January 1958
Mission Information
First artificial Earth satellite, transmitted signals back to Earth for 22 days, completed 1,440 orbits of the planet before falling into its atmosphere
Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, and is credited with starting the Space Race between the USA and Soviet Union.
