Sputnik 1 

(/ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk/; see § Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite.[5] It was

launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the USSR on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet
space program. It orbited for three weeks before its batteries died and then orbited silently for two
months before it fell back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958.
It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm (23 in) in diameter with four external radio antennas to
broadcast radio pulses. Its radio signal was easily detectable by radio amateurs,[6] and the 65° orbital
inclination and duration of its orbit made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth.
The satellite's unanticipated success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered
the Space Race, part of the Cold War. The launch was the beginning of a new era of political,
military, technological and scientific developments.[7][8] The word "sputnik" is Russian for satellite
when interpreted in an astronomical context;[9] its other meanings are spouse or traveling companion.
[10][11]

Tracking and studying Sputnik 1 from Earth provided scientists with valuable information. The
density of the upper atmosphere could be deduced from its drag on the orbit, and the propagation of
its radio signals gave data about the ionosphere.
Sputnik 1 was launched during the International Geophysical Year from Site No.1/5, at the
5th Tyuratam range, in Kazakh SSR (now known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome). The satellite
travelled at a peak speed of about 8 km/s (18,000 mph), taking 96.20 minutes to complete each
orbit. It transmitted on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz,[12] which were monitored by radio operators
throughout the world. The signals continued for 21 days until the transmitter batteries ran out on 26
October 1957. Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958 while reentering Earth's atmosphere, after
three months, 1,440 completed orbits of the Earth,[2] and a distance travelled of about 7.0×107 km
(4.3×107 mi).[13]