R7 Rocket Launches 4

Description

R7 Rocket launches, photo; licensed article; Original: 5740×4315; Photographer: Unknown; subject to license; Rights: a9 Bleek/zb Media. The photos show the historic launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, which heralded the space age.

R-7 Rocket on the launch pad: The Soviet R-7 intercontinental rocket, initially developed for military purposes, was converted into a carrier rocket for the first artificial Earth satellite.
Rocket launch: The images capture the moment of launch – an impressive sight with fire and smoke as the R-7 lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Sputnik 1 in space: The spherical satellite model with four long antennas orbits the Earth. Sputnik transmits radio signals that can be received worldwide.

The Sputnik launch marked the beginning of the space age and triggered the Sputnik shock in the West. The USA was surprised by the technological superiority of the Soviet Union, which further fueled the space race between the superpowers.