Which country was the first to launch an artificial satellite into space?

The Soviet Union was the first country to launch an artificial satellite into space.

Its satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched on 4 October 1957 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The small polished sphere transmitted radio signals that could be detected on Earth. Its launch marked the beginning of the Space Age and intensified the technological competition known as the Space Race.

Sputnik 1 orbited Earth roughly every 96 minutes. It remained in orbit for about three months before atmospheric drag caused it to reenter and burn up on 4 January 1958. The satellite’s simple beeping signal had enormous political and cultural impact because it demonstrated the Soviet Union’s ability to place an object above Earth.

The United States followed with Explorer 1 on 31 January 1958. Sputnik 1 should not be confused with Sputnik 2, which carried the dog Laika and launched later in November 1957. The Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, but the launch remains a Soviet achievement.