Sputnik

Sputnik is the Russian for "satellite" (literal meaning 'travel companion'). Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite to achieve geocentric orbit, and was launched on October 4th 1957. Its more formal name was Object PS - Prosteishii Sputnik, meaning simplest satellite, as it was decided to launch something much more simple and therefore lighter than originally planned as payload for the massive R-7 ICBM rocket in order to trump America into space. In fact the R-7 was designed to be capable of launching nuclear weapons anywhere in the world, but principally against the USSR's 'main adversary.'

Both the USA and USSR were planning to launch satellites in International Geophysical Year, which ran from July 1957 to December 1958 to coincide the the 11 year cycle of maximum sunspot activity. The USA had signalled its intention in a 1955 press release and