Sputnik Launched
The Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite
October 04, 1957
A Beep That Shocked the World
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched a metal sphere about the size of a beach ball into orbit around Earth. It weighed 83 kilograms and transmitted a simple radio beep that anyone with the right equipment could pick up. Sputnik — Russian for "fellow traveler" — was the world's first artificial satellite, and its launch sent shockwaves through the United States and the rest of the world.
Why Americans Panicked
Sputnik proved that Soviet rockets were powerful enough to put objects into orbit — which meant they were also powerful enough to deliver nuclear warheads anywhere on Earth. Americans could look up on clear nights and see the satellite's reflection tracking across the sky. Congress responded by creating NASA in 1958 and massively increasing funding for science and math education. The Space Race had officially begun.
A Short Life, a Long Legacy
Sputnik itself only lasted 22 days before its batteries died, and it fell back into the atmosphere and burned up in January 1958. But in those 22 days it orbited Earth 1,440 times. Today, thousands of satellites circle the planet doing everything from syncing global clocks to providing GPS navigation. Every satellite ever launched traces its lineage back to that small beeping sphere.