R7 Rocket Launches 3

Description

R7 Rocket Launches, Photo; Licensed item; Original: 5740×4315; Photographer: Unknown; requires licensing; Rights: a9 Bleek/zb Media. The photos depict the historic launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, which heralded the era of space exploration.

R-7 Rocket on the Launch Pad: The Soviet R-7 intercontinental rocket, originally developed for military purposes, was repurposed as a launch vehicle for the first artificial earth satellite.
Rocket Launch: The pictures capture the moment of lift-off – an impressive sight with fire and smoke, as the R-7 ascends into space 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 taken aback by the technological superiority of the Soviet Union, which further fueled the space race between the superpowers.