Sputnik 1 History: Complete Background Events, Facts, Objective and Purpose

Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957.

Key Points:

1. Role of Chief Soviet rocket scientist Sergei Korolev
2. Soviet Union and United States Space Exploration Competition
3. The Launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957
4. 3 Major Objectives and Purpose of Sputnik 1
The success of Sputnik 1 and American Sputnik crisis

Background of Sputnik 1

On December 17, 1954, Chief Soviet rocket scientist Sergei Korolev proposed a development plan for a satellite to the Minister of Defense Industry, Dmitri Ustinov. Korolev forwarded a report by Mikhail Tikhonravov that examined similar projects abroad. Tikhonravov stressed that the launch of an orbital satellite was an inevitable step in the development of rocket technology.

On July 29, 1955, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower announced through his press secretary that, during the International Geophysical Year (IGY), the United States would launch a satellite. Four days later, the renowned Soviet physicist Leonid Sedov announced that he too would launch a satellite. On August 8, the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union approved a proposal to build an artificial satellite.

Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, as part of the Soviet space program into an elliptical low-Earth orbit. It sent radio signals to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries ran out. Due to aerodynamic drag, it re-entered the atmosphere on January 4, 1958.

Objectives of Sputnik 1

Sputnik 1 was designed to fulfill a set of instructions and objectives such as:

1. Simplicity and reliability that could be adapted to future projects.
2. A spherical body to help determine atmospheric density over the lifetime in orbit.
3. Radio equipment to facilitate tracking and obtain data on the propagation of radio waves through the atmosphere.

The success of the satellite was unexpected for the US. This led to the American Sputnik crisis and started the space race that was part of the Cold War. This launch ushered in a new era of political, military, technological, and scientific development.