Sputnik-1: The world's first satellite launched in 1957 - in pictures

  • A Russian technician working on Sputnik 1 in 1957 in what was then the Soviet Union. Getty Images
    A Russian technician working on Sputnik 1 in 1957 in what was then the Soviet Union. Getty Images
  • A rendering of the Sputnik-1 satellite. Photo: Roscosmos
    A rendering of the Sputnik-1 satellite. Photo: Roscosmos
  • A Soviet rocket blasts off carrying Sputnik-1, allowing it to become the first man-made object sent to space. Getty Images
    A Soviet rocket blasts off carrying Sputnik-1, allowing it to become the first man-made object sent to space. Getty Images
  • The dog, Laika, during preparations for Sputnik 2 in 1958. Laika became the first living being in space but tragically died from overheating hours into the flight due to a failure in the spacecraft's temperature control system. Getty Images
    The dog, Laika, during preparations for Sputnik 2 in 1958. Laika became the first living being in space but tragically died from overheating hours into the flight due to a failure in the spacecraft's temperature control system. Getty Images
  • The Soviet Union's Sputnik-1 achievement prompted the US to establish Nasa and increase funding in its space programme, helping give rise to its Apollo programme and eventually landing the first human on the Moon in 1969. Photo: Nasa
    The Soviet Union's Sputnik-1 achievement prompted the US to establish Nasa and increase funding in its space programme, helping give rise to its Apollo programme and eventually landing the first human on the Moon in 1969. Photo: Nasa