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Missions and Programs

Sputnik Program

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The Soviet program that launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, on 4 October 1957, opening the Space Age and triggering the Cold War space race with the United States.

Facts
Disputed
End Date
1958-05-15 2
Sputnik 3, launched 15 May 1958, is treated by most sources as the last of the original three IGY-era Sputnik satellites, but the Soviet Union continued to use the Sputnik name for later test satellites into the early 1960s, so no single, universally agreed program end date exists.
Mission Type
Uncrewed satellite program 1
Launch Date
1957-10-04 1
Outcome
Successful; Sputnik 1 orbited for three months before its orbit decayed and it burned up in the atmosphere. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Operated By

Soviet space program, Space Agencies and Companies
Additional Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)Sputnik program, Wikipedia, lead section (operator)
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Astronautica
Encyclopedia Astronautica, Sputnik 1 (astronautix.com/s/sputnik1.html)
Quote, Encyclopedia Astronautica, Sputnik 1 (astronautix.com/s/sputnik1.html)
Russian technology satellite. Tikhonravov's 1.4 metric ton ISZ satellite was to have been launched by the new R-7 ICBM as the Soviet Union's first satellite, during the International Geophysical Year.
2. NASA History Office
National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA history office, Chronology of Sputnik/Vanguard/Explorer Events 1957-58
Quote, NASA history office, Chronology of Sputnik/Vanguard/Explorer Events 1957-58
May 15 USSR: Sputnik 3 (1,327 kg) orbits, carrying large array of scientific instruments, but tape recorder fails, so it can't map Van Allen belts
Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationOperated By: Soviet space program, Sputnik program, Wikipedia, lead section (operator)
Quote, Operated By: Soviet space program, Sputnik program, Wikipedia, lead section (operator)
Sputnik is a name for multiple spacecraft launched under the Soviet space program.
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