Launched October 4, 1957
Decommissioned March 25, 1961

At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union initiated a space program named Sputnik, which made such historic achievements as putting the first satellite in Earth’s orbit; it prepared the way for sending the first human aboard a spacecraft into Earth’s orbit. In 1955 the Soviet Union began construction of the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan near the town of Tyuratam. One of the top priorities at the new base was the A-1, the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Launched on August 3, 1957, the A-1 missile traveled a distance of 5,000 miles, thus laying the foundation for the first artificial satellite. On September 18, 1957, the Soviet Union announced its intention to launch a satellite but withheld its name—Sputnik, which means traveling companion.

Soviets launch space age

Both the A-1 and Sputnik were designed by the Soviet Union’s premier...