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In what year was the first aircraft launched? The first artificial space satellite of the Earth - general information

in photographs

Launch of the Sputnik launch vehicle. Humanity's entry into space.

Launch pad: launch vehicle 8K71-PS (R-7) with Sputnik-1.

Launch of the R-7 launch vehicle from the AES-1. RGANTD.

Assembly "PS-1".

"The simplest satellite is the first." Assembly process.

Satellite components.

Satellite launch.

Final check of all systems.

Internal layout of AES-1. RGANTD.

The head cutter and the last stage of the launch vehicle (still from an educational film).

General view of the satellite.

Layout diagram of AES-1. 1957 RGANTD.

A replica of the world's first artificial satellite at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington.

State commission that supervised the preparation of the launches of the First and Second artificial Earth satellites. November 3, 1957 RGANTD.

Listening to satellite signals.

Radio amateur Roy Welch from Dallas (USA) plays on a tape recorder to other radio amateurs the signals he recorded from the first Soviet satellite.

USSR postage stamp with the image of Sputnik-1.

Postage stamp dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the launch of the 1st Earth satellite - satellite in low-Earth orbit. Solar Galaxy - Date June 24, 1967.

Postal block in honor of the 25th anniversary of the launch of the world's first artificial Earth satellite. USSR 1982.

Anniversary stamp "100 years since the birth of K.E. Tsiolkovsky" with an overprint about the launch of the world's first satellite. USSR Post 1957.

Monument to the creators of the first Soviet artificial satellite. Installed in 1958 near the Rizhskaya metro station in Moscow. Sculptor Kovner.

Inside the satellite. Layout, M 1:1.

Metal locking key, the last remaining element from the first satellite. Blocked the connection between the batteries and the transmitter until the rocket was launched. Exhibit from the National Air and Space Museum, Washington. When entering orbit, another fuse was turned off and Sputnik began to signal.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the launch of the satellite, on November 3, 1997, from the Mir space station, the astronauts manually launched Sputnik 40 - a model in the size of 1/3 of the first satellite. The satellite was made by Russian and French students.

Examples of the first commemorative badges issued in honor of the launch of Soviet Sputnik No. 1.

Artistically marked envelope dedicated to the launch of the satellite. USSR Post, 1957.

Postcard of the GDR, 1981-1983, from a series of 48 postcards with the stamps "25 years of the space age". (German: Geschichte der Raumfahrt Vom Feuerpfeil zu Sputnik 1).

Commemorative medal "In honor of the launch in the USSR of the world's first artificial Earth satellite on October 4, 1957. USSR Academy of Sciences."

The first and fourth pages of the covers of Radio magazines, No. 12, 1957 and No. 1, 1958.

Launch vehicle "Sputnik". On the left are three satellites that it placed into orbit around the earth.

The shape of the radio signals of the first satellite.

Radio amateurs are winners of the Radio magazine for scientifically valuable observations of the first satellites. "Radio", 1958, No. 1.

Painting by A. Sokolov “It is finished!”

Satellite sounds

(0:14) Recorded in Czechoslovakia

(2:28) Recorded in Washington

(0:23) Recorded in Germany

The satellite transmitted signals in the form of telegraphic messages (so-called “beeps”) lasting about 0.3 seconds.
The radio waves traveled at two frequencies: 20.005 and 40.002 MHz.

The signal frequency and pause were determined by 2 sensors:
- pressure, response threshold: 0.35 atm
- temperature, response threshold: +50 °C and 0 °C

The radio transmitters operated for two weeks.

Interesting Facts:

☆ On January 30, 1956, a decree was issued on the launch into orbit in 1957-1958. “Object “D”” - a satellite with scientific equipment. 200-300 kg of scientific equipment was to be developed by the USSR Academy of Sciences.
On January 14, 1957, the Council of Ministers of the USSR approved the R-7 flight test program. And Korolev sent a memo to the Council of Ministers, writing that 2 missiles could be ready, in a satellite version, in April - June 1957, “and launched immediately after the first successful launches of an intercontinental missile.”
In February, construction work was underway at the test site, and two missiles were already ready. Korolev, realizing that the equipment for the satellite would take a long time to be made, sent the government an unexpected proposal:
There are reports that in connection with the International Geophysical Year, the United States intends to launch satellites in 1958. We risk losing priority. I propose that instead of a complex laboratory - object “D”, we launch a simple satellite into space.

☆ After the Satellite began sending signals, the analysis of the incoming telemetry data began. It turned out:
- One engine was “delayed”, but no less than a second before the control time, it still returned to normal mode (and the start was not automatically canceled).
- At the 16th second of flight, the fuel supply control system stopped working, increased kerosene consumption began, and the central engine turned off 1 second earlier than the estimated time. Had he switched off a little earlier, the first escape velocity might not have been achieved.

☆ Many media outlets of that time wrote that the satellite could be observed in the sky with the naked eye, but in fact it could not be seen so easily. And the star, which was seen by a large number of people, was the second stage - the central block of the rocket (weighing 7.5 tons), it also entered orbit and moved until it burned out.

☆ The Soviet government donated a model of Sputnik 1 to the UN, the model is placed in the entrance hall of the UN Headquarters in New York.

☆ In honor of the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first satellite, on November 4, 1997, cosmonauts from the Mir orbital station manually launched Sputnik 40 (a model made by Russian and French students, on a scale of 1:3).

☆ In 2003, they tried to sell a copy of Sputnik 1 on eBay. Some researchers estimate that between four and twenty models (exact copies) were made in the Soviet Union for testing, demonstrations and diplomatic gifts. No one can name the exact number of models, because... This was classified information, however, many museums around the world claim that they have an authentic copy.

Greetings, my dear readers! If you look at the sky at night, among a million stars you can sometimes discern bright luminous points that fly across the sky in about 10 minutes. These are satellites. In the era of space exploration, these artificial assistants communicate via cellular communications and make it possible to watch TV and listen to the radio; they help ships not to get lost in the vast expanses of the oceans; for meteorologists, they broadcast the weather.

Do you know which country launched the first artificial Earth satellite, and in what year it was? Not everyone knows for sure that he was sent into space 60 years ago, and this happened in 1957.

Lesson plan:

How it all began?

The first in the world to launch an artificial satellite into earth orbit in space was the USSR. At that time, there was a competition between the Soviet Union and America to see who would be the first to conquer outer space. Therefore, the team of scientists involved in practical astronautics faced a difficult task - to get ahead of the United States and prove the power of Soviet science.

The history of the emergence of artificial satellites begins in the post-war years at the USSR Jet Institute, where scientists were actively involved in the design of ballistic missiles, tested, measured and improved their flight range. As a result of work under the leadership of Sergei Korolev, a powerful R-7 rocket appeared and the idea arose of creating an artificial satellite, which could be sent into orbit with the help of this rocket.

The first spacecraft was given the code name PS-1, which stands for “simple satellite 1.” Developed in just a couple of weeks, it was indeed the simplest, since there was no time to prepare a more complex device - the Americans were “stepping on our heels.”

What was the first satellite made of?

The structure of the first artificial satellite was quite simple - in the shape of a ball made of metal, 58.5 centimeters in diameter. The satellite had “horns” - two antennas of 2.9 meters and two of 2.4 meters, and each pair of such “horns” was located at an angle of 70 degrees, “crosswise”, so that the radio signal from the device would evenly spread to different sides.

If you unscrew 36 bolts, the ball could be divided into two halves, which revealed the entire “filling”:

batteries - they had to ensure uninterrupted operation of the satellite for at least two weeks,
radio transmitters, which were supposed to transmit signals at two radio frequencies - 20 and 40 MegaHertz, audible even to ordinary radio amateurs,
a fan that turns on every time the temperature begins to exceed 36 degrees, and turns off automatically when the air cools to 20 degrees,
temperature control system with sensors that transmitted a signal to the fan when the temperature increased,
on-board electrical automation and pressure sensors.

All these elements were entangled with electrical wires and connected into one working mechanism. The mass of the entire satellite was 83.6 kilograms.

Beginning of the space age

The launch of PS-1 took place on October 4, 1957 using the Sputnik launch vehicle created on the basis of the ballistic R-7. A rocket with a small silver ball in its “head” launched from the Tyura-Tam test site (later this site became the well-known Baikonur Cosmodrome) at 22:28 Moscow time.

After 295 seconds, the satellite entered Earth’s orbit at an altitude of 947 kilometers, and its first voice in the form of “Beep! Beep! Beep!”, which all Soviet radio amateurs were impatiently waiting for near their radio receivers, he gave after 314 seconds. Hundreds of thousands of residents stared in amazement at the night sky, trying to find the coveted flying point.

From life facts. Due to its small size, the first satellite launched into space could theoretically not be seen with the naked eye. What then did eyewitnesses see in the sky? They say that that bright point was nothing more than a stage from a launch vehicle much larger in size than PS-1. She flew next to the satellite for a short time and served as a guide. But she was flying next door, which means everything is fair!

During its 92-day journey, PS-1 completed 1,440 revolutions around the Earth, flying approximately 60 million kilometers. On January 4, 1958, it lost speed and burned up due to air friction when it entered dense atmospheric layers on its way back. Therefore, at exhibitions today you can only see reproduced copies of it.

Launched: what next?

The flight of the first earth satellite became the starting point for the active exploration of outer space. Who would have known that after the first signals from orbit it would become clear that only a fraction of one second separated the success of Soviet science and the failure of the rocket launch.

It turns out that at the 16th second of the flight the fuel supply system malfunctioned, so the central engine turned off earlier than expected. This might not be enough to gain the required speed; the rocket would simply fall back to Earth. But luck smiled on the scientists then, and the Soviet Union rightfully became the first.

Thanks to this launch, scientists received important technical information for further calculations of rocket trajectories, the operation of systems, and the passage of signals. Astronomers calculated the density of the atmosphere from changes in the speed of the satellite, something that no one simply could do before.

A little later, on November 3 of the same year, the USSR sent a second satellite into space, equipping it with various equipment and putting the commander, the dog Laika, behind the wheel. And then more and more. You've probably already read the history of space exploration - from to.

The first earth satellite has a monument. It was opened 50 years after its launch, in 2007, in Korolev.

Now you know how our space exploration began. Today, no one thinks or wonders how the most complex devices work, how cellular communications appeared and how we can access the World Wide Web. For us, this is commonplace, which appeared thanks to the works of Soviet scientists 60 years ago.

Let's now see how it happened.

With this, I say goodbye to you, setting off to find new interesting facts about everything in the world. I’m waiting for you on the pages of “ShkolaLa”.

Ball like laconic form The design of the first satellite was quite simple. It consisted of a metal ball with a diameter of just over half a meter with four long antennas directed backward relative to the direction of flight. The antennas were located in pairs and at an angle, which ensured uniform distribution of the radio signal in all directions. And this despite the fact that at that time there was no experience in receiving radio transmissions from space.

“I had to talk with many employees of the Sergei Korolev Design Bureau and related specialists,” the famous journalist, writer, and popularizer of the space theme Yaroslav Golovanov later wrote in his book “A Drop of Our World.” - The Queen was shown sketches of the first satellite, but he did not like all the options. They asked carefully, “Why, Sergei Pavlovich?” “Because it’s not round...” Korolev answered mysteriously.

The point is not only that a sphere is an ideal shape with maximum volume with a minimum surface. Unconsciously and intuitively, Sergei Pavlovich strove for the utmost laconicism and expressiveness of the form of this historical apparatus. And it’s really now difficult to imagine another, more capacious emblem symbolizing the age of space.” By the way, they recall that it turned out to be difficult for the designers to provide a shiny surface that reflects the sun’s rays. The fact is that at that time there was no special technology for the aluminum alloy from which the body of the first satellite was made. However, this problem was dealt with, and the ball was perfectly polished, fearing overheating in the Sun. During the work, everyone who came into contact with the “ball” literally carried it in their hands and worked in white gloves. The equipment on which the satellite was mounted was covered with velvet. The product, which received the name “the simplest satellite” (PS-1), turned out to be a breakthrough project for that time. For example, the power supply unit created at the Institute of Current Sources consisted of batteries based on silver-zinc cells. The radio transmitter powered by these batteries operated in space for two weeks after launch. The transmitter itself, designed by Mikhail Ryazansky, emitted signals on two waves, and the duration of the signals changed with an increase or decrease in temperature, as well as with a drop in pressure (these parameters were controlled by unique relays). The transmitter power was adjusted in such a way that not only specialists at ground tracking stations, but also all radio amateurs could receive its signals. A word that can be understood without translation

“The fact that the flight of the satellite “blew up” the scientific world is understandable,” Yaroslav Golovanov wrote in the same book “A Drop of Our World.” “But it also delighted people who were not at all experienced in scientific and technical problems.” In a man-made object thrown up and not falling back to Earth, people saw a miracle of human thought and labor. Our satellite made all earthlings proud of itself - this is the main result of that triumphant flight over the planet.”

The Russian word “sputnik” immediately entered the languages of all peoples of the world. The front pages of foreign newspapers in those historic October days of 1957 were full of admiration for the feat of our country. The Washington Evening Star newspaper commented on the launch with merciless laconicism: “The era of American self-confidence is over,” and the French magazine Paris Match stated: “The dogma of the technical superiority of the United States has collapsed.” By the way, the launch of the first satellite dealt a significant blow to the prestige of the United States. The American government assured its citizens of the creation of a perfect air defense system, after which an invulnerable Soviet apparatus began to fly in the skies over the country every hour and a half. United Press was forced to publish the following comment: “90 percent of the talk about artificial earth satellites came from the United States. As it turned out, 100 percent of the case fell on Russia...” It is interesting that the United States was able to launch its first satellite only in February 1958, when on the second attempt Explorer 1, weighing ten times less than PS-1, was sent into orbit.

“The launch of an artificial satellite was of enormous importance for understanding the properties of outer space and studying the Earth as a planet in our solar system,” says Nikolai Kurdyapin, author and creator of the popular astronomy website kosmoved.ru. - Analysis of the received signals gave scientists the opportunity to study the upper layers of the ionosphere, which was not possible before. In addition, information about the operating conditions of the equipment, which was very useful for further launches, was obtained, all calculations were checked, and the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere was determined based on the braking of the satellite.”

Space ForcesIn September 1967, the International Astronautical Federation proclaimed October 4 as the Day of the Beginning of the Space Age of Mankind. In Russia, the date of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite is also considered the Day of the Formation of the Space Forces. It was the launch and control parts of the spacecraft that launched the rocket from PS-1 and controlled the flight of the satellite. This launch, the first manned flight into space, exploration of the Moon, Mars, Venus, complex experiments in outer space, the launch of an unmanned spacecraft of the reusable orbital complex "Buran", the creation of the International Space Station - this is not a complete list of achievements of Russian cosmonautics, to which a significant contribution contributed military formations for space purposes.

Today the Space Forces are part of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Their tasks include launching vehicles into orbit, managing military and dual-use satellite systems, monitoring space objects and identifying threats in and from space, and, if necessary, countering such threats. Since 1957, units and institutions of the Space Forces have provided launch and flight control of more than 3 thousand spacecraft. In close cooperation with scientific and industrial organizations, flight tests of more than 250 types of spacecraft for military, socio-economic and scientific purposes were carried out. Among them are communications, navigation, cartography, remote sensing, telecommunications, and scientific apparatus. In August of this year, the Proton-M heavy-class launch vehicle was successfully launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, and in June, the Soyuz-2.1V light-class launch vehicle was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. All pre-launch operations and the launch took place as usual, and the ground-based automated control complex also regularly monitored the launch and flight of the rocket. Legacy of the era Astronautics enthusiasts are interested in where the world's first artificial Earth satellite is now located. You can admire its exact copies (models) at any exhibition dedicated to outer space or in space museums. The real PS-1 burned out in the layers of the atmosphere before reaching its native land.

In the year of the 25th anniversary of the launch, the President of the International Astronautical Federation, Czechoslovakian Professor Perek, wrote in one of the newspapers: “The first satellite changed life on our planet. Just as mighty rivers are born from one stream, so the first satellite led to the birth of a mighty river of practical applications in various fields of human activity, to a paradoxical change in many scientific concepts.” The then President of the International Astronautical Academy, American Draper, emphasized: “... figuratively, we can say that the entire huge family of modern spacecraft was carried into orbit by the hand by the first Soviet satellite.” Today, even on the International Space Station you can find echoes of the launch 60 years ago. And it’s not just about the ideas born of that experiment and embodied in modern flights. The current ISS expedition includes flight engineer Sergei Ryazansky, a Russian test cosmonaut, the 535th cosmonaut in the world and the 117th cosmonaut of Russia, Hero of the Russian Federation. He is the grandson of the scientist-designer Mikhail Ryazansky, who participated in the creation of the first artificial Earth satellite and developed the radio system with which the satellite transmitted signals from orbit.

According to Igor Komarov, General Director of the State Corporation for Space Activities Roscosmos, Russia still uses Soviet technological resources to a large extent in space exploration. “It was a huge undertaking that was ahead of its time,” he notes. - Although, if we talk seriously about whether the Soyuz is flying now the same as it was during Korolev’s time, then, of course, not. The control system, everything that is done digitally, is a completely different rocket. At the same time, if we compare the attention, efforts and funding that were available to design schools at that time, these are completely different scales.” As the head of Roscosmos notes, in recent years the space industry has been reviving, new projects are beginning to be developed. “Groups of satellites have been formed - both for remote sensing of the Earth and for communications, which provide new opportunities and new quality. Astronomy has returned to schools, and this, of course, increases the children’s interest,” notes Igor Komarov. - Roscosmos and our enterprises have entered into targeted recruitment agreements with the country’s leading universities to attract students to work in the rocket and space industry after graduation. For example, I already see many young and talented engineers and designers at enterprises. Thanks to this, I think the situation in the industry is improving.”

In 1957, under the leadership of S.P. Korolev created the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile R-7, which was used to launch the same year the world's first artificial Earth satellite.

Artificial Earth satellite (satellite) is a spacecraft revolving around the Earth in a geocentric orbit. - the trajectory of a celestial body along an elliptical path around the Earth. One of the two foci of the ellipse along which the celestial body moves coincides with the Earth. In order for the spacecraft to be in this orbit, it must be given a speed that is less than the second escape velocity, but not less than the first escape velocity. AES flights are carried out at altitudes of up to several hundred thousand kilometers. The lower limit of the satellite's flight altitude is determined by the need to avoid the process of rapid braking in the atmosphere. The orbital period of a satellite, depending on the average flight altitude, can range from one and a half hours to several days.

Of particular importance are satellites in geostationary orbit, whose orbital period is strictly equal to a day and therefore for a ground observer they “hang” motionless in the sky, which makes it possible to get rid of rotating devices in antennas. Geostationary orbit(GSO) - a circular orbit located above the Earth’s equator (0° latitude), while in which an artificial satellite orbits the planet with an angular velocity equal to the angular velocity of the Earth’s rotation around its axis. Movement of an artificial Earth satellite in geostationary orbit.

Sputnik-1- the first artificial Earth satellite, the first spacecraft, launched into orbit in the USSR on October 4, 1957.

Satellite code designation - PS-1(The simplest Sputnik-1). The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" (later this place was named the Baikonur Cosmodrome) on a Sputnik (R-7) launch vehicle.

Scientists M.V. Keldysh, M.K. Tikhonravov, N.S. Lidorenko, V.I. Lapko, B.S. Chekunov, A. worked on the creation of an artificial Earth satellite, led by the founder of practical cosmonautics S.P. Korolev. V. Bukhtiyarov and many others.

The date of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite is considered the beginning of the space age of mankind, and in Russia it is celebrated as a memorable day of the Space Forces.

The satellite's body consisted of two hemispheres with a diameter of 58 cm made of aluminum alloy with docking frames connected to each other by 36 bolts. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a rubber gasket. In the upper half-shell there were two antennas, each of two rods 2.4 m and 2.9 m long. Since the satellite was unoriented, the four-antenna system gave uniform radiation in all directions.

A block of electrochemical sources was placed inside the sealed housing; radio transmitting device; fan; thermal relay and air duct of the thermal control system; switching device for on-board electrical automation; temperature and pressure sensors; onboard cable network. Mass of the first satellite: 83.6 kg.

The history of the creation of the first satellite

On May 13, 1946, Stalin signed a decree on the creation of a rocket science and industry in the USSR. In August S. P. Korolev was appointed chief designer of long-range ballistic missiles.

But back in 1931, the Jet Propulsion Study Group was created in the USSR, which was engaged in the design of rockets. This group worked Tsander, Tikhonravov, Pobedonostsev, Korolev. In 1933, on the basis of this group, the Jet Institute was organized, which continued work on creating and improving rockets.

In 1947, the V-2 rocket was assembled and flight tested in Germany, which marked the beginning of Soviet work on the development of rocket technology. However, the V-2 embodied in its design the ideas of single geniuses Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Hermann Oberth, Robert Goddard.

In 1948, tests of the R-1 rocket, which was a copy of the V-2, manufactured entirely in the USSR, were already carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site. Then the R-2 appeared with a flight range of up to 600 km; these missiles were put into service in 1951. And the creation of the R-5 missile with a range of up to 1200 km was the first break away from the V-2 technology. These missiles were tested in 1953, and research immediately began on their use as a carrier of nuclear weapons. On May 20, 1954, the government issued a decree on the development of a two-stage R-7 intercontinental missile. And already on May 27, Korolev sent a report to the Minister of Defense Industry D.F. Ustinov about the development of an artificial satellite and the possibility of launching it using the future R-7 rocket.

Launch!

On Friday, October 4, at 22 hours 28 minutes 34 seconds Moscow time, the successful launch. 295 seconds after launch, PS-1 and the central block of the rocket, weighing 7.5 tons, were launched into an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 947 km at apogee and 288 km at perigee. At 314.5 seconds after launch, Sputnik separated and it cast its vote. “Beep! Beep! - that was his call sign. They were caught at the training ground for 2 minutes, then the Sputnik went beyond the horizon. People at the cosmodrome ran out into the street, shouted “Hurray!”, shook the designers and military personnel. And even on the first orbit, a TASS message was heard: “... As a result of a lot of hard work by research institutes and design bureaus, the world’s first artificial Earth satellite was created...”

Only after receiving the first signals from Sputnik did the results of processing telemetry data arrive and it turned out that only a fraction of a second separated it from failure. One of the engines was “delayed”, and the time to enter the mode is strictly controlled and if it is exceeded, the start is automatically canceled. The unit entered mode less than a second before the control time. At the 16th second of flight, the fuel supply control system failed, and due to increased kerosene consumption, the central engine turned off 1 second earlier than the estimated time. But the winners are not judged! The satellite flew for 92 days, until January 4, 1958, completing 1,440 revolutions around the Earth (about 60 million km), and its radio transmitters operated for two weeks after launch. Due to friction with the upper layers of the atmosphere, the satellite lost speed, entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and burned up due to friction with the air.

Officially, Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 were launched by the Soviet Union in accordance with its obligations under the International Geophysical Year. The satellite emitted radio waves at two frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz in the form of telegraphic messages lasting 0.3 s, this made it possible to study the upper layers of the ionosphere - before the launch of the first satellite it was possible to observe only the reflection of radio waves from regions of the ionosphere lying below the zone of maximum ionization of the ionospheric layers.

Launch goals

verification of calculations and basic technical decisions taken for the launch;
ionospheric studies of the passage of radio waves emitted by satellite transmitters;
experimental determination of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by satellite deceleration;
study of equipment operating conditions.

Despite the fact that the satellite was completely devoid of any scientific equipment, studying the nature of the radio signal and optical observations of the orbit made it possible to obtain important scientific data.

Other satellites

The second country to launch satellites was the United States: on February 1, 1958, an artificial earth satellite was launched Explorer-1. It was in orbit until March 1970, but stopped radio transmissions on February 28, 1958. The first American artificial Earth satellite was launched by Brown's team.

Werner Magnus Maximilian von Braun- German, and since the late 1940s, American designer of rocket and space technology, one of the founders of modern rocketry, creator of the first ballistic missiles. In the United States, he is considered the “father” of the American space program. Von Braun, for political reasons, was not given permission to launch the first American satellite for a long time (the US leadership wanted the satellite to be launched by the military), so preparations for the launch of the Explorer began in earnest only after the Avangard accident. For the launch, a souped-up version of the Redstone ballistic missile, called Jupiter-S, was created. The mass of the satellite was exactly 10 times less than the mass of the first Soviet satellite - 8.3 kg. It was equipped with a Geiger counter and a meteor particle sensor. The Explorer's orbit was noticeably higher than the orbit of the first satellite.

The following countries that launched satellites - Great Britain, Canada, Italy - launched their first satellites in 1962, 1962, 1964 . on American launch vehicles. And the third country to launch the first satellite on its launch vehicle was France November 26, 1965

Satellites are now being launched more than 40 countries (as well as individual companies) using both their own launch vehicles (LVs) and those provided as launch services by other countries and interstate and private organizations.

will expand their horizons in the field of space production. The launch of the first artificial satellite served as an impetus for intensive study of outer space. In just a few decades, research and inventions in this area have assumed enormous proportions. The creation of the first satellite is in itself an interesting fact, but there are also a number of events related to its activities that deserve attention.

The first artificial Earth satellite was launched on October 4, 1957. It is this date that is recognized by humanity as the day of entry into the space age. In Russia, it is also the official holiday of the country's space forces.
The first artificial satellite was named PS-1, which stood for “The Simplest Satellite”.
The launch of PS-1 took place from the first and largest cosmodrome in the world, Baikonur, located on the territory of modern Kazakhstan.
A whole group of brilliant scientists and researchers worked on the development of the first satellite.. Their leadership was entrusted to the outstanding designer and Soviet Union Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. It is noteworthy that before the development of this outstanding achievement of rocket and space technology began, he spent six years in prison, but was subsequently rehabilitated for lack of evidence of a crime.
After the launch of the satellite, the world community nominated its designer as a candidate for the Nobel Prize.. However, the name Korolev was kept secret by the Soviet government. In response to the proposed reward, they replied that this was the merit of the entire Soviet people.
The appearance of the satellite was a ball weighing about 80 kilograms with four antennas at the edges.
314 seconds after takeoff, PS-1 issued a characteristic sound signal, which people in all corners of the globe could hear. It marked the triumph of humanity, which had reached unprecedented heights of its scientific activity.
Interestingly, the satellite was not equipped with any scientific equipment. The only way to study it was to receive the radio signals it sent, which all institutes and scientific laboratories on Earth began to actively engage in.
Sputnik-1 spent exactly 4 months in outer space. The end of his flight took place on January 4, 1958. During his stay outside the earth's atmosphere, he covered a distance of almost 60 million kilometers.
The satellite was launched using the R-7 ballistic missile, which its inventors diminutively nicknamed the Seven.
Experimental launches of the above-mentioned rocket failed for a long time. However, in August 1957, the launch of the rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome was successful and it landed safely at a base located in Kamchatka.
In 2007, in honor of the anniversary of the creation of PS-1, a monument to him was erected in the city of Korolev.
On the day of the launch of PS-1, another international conference dedicated to astronautics was held in Barcelona. Since the development of outer space in the USSR was classified as secret, representatives of the Soviet Union who took part in the congress meeting shocked the entire world community with their statement.
“Taming the Fire” is a product of the domestic film industry. The film, released in 1972, describes the biographical features of the life of the head of the Soviet space program, Korolev, and members of his team. An American-made film, “October Sky,” was also shot, also based on real events.
Another merit of the first satellite was the emergence of the global Internet. After all, it was research related to the work of PS-1 that led to the idea of its creation.