Apollo-Soyuz Handshake in Space
US and Soviet spacecraft docked in orbit, symbolizing the end of the Space Race
July 17, 1975
Competition Born of Cold War Rivalry
The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union began in earnest when the Soviets launched Sputnik — the first artificial satellite — in October 1957. The Americans were shocked. Over the following decade, both superpowers poured enormous resources into their space programs, each seeking to prove the superiority of their political and technological systems. The Soviets scored early victories — first satellite, first human in space, first spacewalk. The Americans caught up and surged ahead with the Apollo program, landing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
From Competition to Cooperation
Most historians mark the end of the space race as July 17, 1975, when American Apollo and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft docked together in orbit. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was a joint mission in which American and Soviet astronauts shook hands in space and conducted joint scientific experiments. The mission was a deliberate symbol of détente — the easing of Cold War tensions that had developed in the early 1970s under President Nixon and Soviet leader Brezhnev. The handshake in space was broadcast live around the world as a sign of possible coexistence between the two superpowers.
A New Era of Exploration
The Apollo-Soyuz mission opened the door to decades of international space cooperation. The International Space Station, operational since 2000, is perhaps the greatest symbol of that cooperation — a joint project of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The space race's technologies also drove advances in materials science, computing, satellite communications, and medicine that transformed civilian life. Use the countdown tool to mark the anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz docking and celebrate the beginning of space cooperation.