70th Anniversary: First-Ever Satellite Launched to Space (Sputnik 1)
October 4, 2027
In 1957 the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 mission which became the first artificial Earth satellite and launched humankind into the Space Age. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October.
- Size and Weight: It was a metal sphere about 23 inches (58 cm) wide, roughly the size of a beach ball, and weighed 184 pounds (83.6 kg).
- Orbit Time: It took about 96 to 98 minutes to complete one full trip around the Earth.
- Mission: It sent simple radio beep signals back to Earth for three weeks before its batteries died.
- End of Life: It stayed in orbit for three months and burned up when it fell back into Earth’s atmosphere on January 4, 1958.
